


The Freedom Fighter

by nesryn



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Emotional Growth, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I'm giving it to him, Season/Series 01, Sokka deserves more, insecure Sokka, stab happy spy makes friends, you bet there's a lot of it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22083853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nesryn/pseuds/nesryn
Summary: Fighting a neverending war against the Fire Nation is one thing. Discovering the Avatar, a twelve-year-old airbender, in your forest is another matter entirely. Freedom Fighter Nara is left trying to decide where her loyalties truly lie, and where she fits in the grand scheme of things.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. The Spy

**Author's Note:**

> This is a classic *insert oc* into the story and see what happens. I like it. Hope someone else does too.

The Fire Nation emblem covered the entire naval base. Everywhere Nara looked, she could see it. What had once been a symbol of life and passion was now a synonym for death and destruction. She tried not to look at it for too long as she carried the tray of food, keeping her head ducked low and not meeting anyone’s gaze. The serving staff here were nervous and quiet, and if Nara didn’t want to stand out she had to watch herself. Too many curious gazes would have her discovered.

The naval base was quiet as the day drew to a close and the sun began to fall. The darker it became, the fewer guards paced the boundaries of the camp. Most bore weapons, and those that didn’t were all the more dangerous because of it. The black and red army of the Fire Nation soldiers reflected ominously in the torchlight they huddled near as they lost interest in the dull task of guarding the camp against attackers that never seemed to come. Nara couldn’t help but smirk as she watched their attentiveness fade. Unlike the guards in the camp below the ridge she waited on, Nara was as alert as she had been when the night began. The discipline had been beaten into her since she entered this war, and she knew too well what could go wrong if she let her attention slip for even the shortest of moments. Her hands tightened around the daggers concealed under her dark cloth to make sure they were still there waiting—an assassin’s weapon.

Nara had only been at the base for a fortnight after transferring from the serving staff on one of the warships. It had been a long process to get here, and now that she was finally close to Commander Zhou she wouldn’t mess this up. Too much was relying upon it.

She counted the steps through the camp, measuring the distance she travelled out of habit, though she already had the layout committed to memory. The base was quiet as the day drew to a close. Troops were finishing for the day, while others were waking for their night shifts. That was what brought Nara to the barracks. When one of the officers had called for food she had volunteered to take it to their tent. The officers often share with another of their rank, and tended to talk when they were hungry.

The room of Officer Ganzo was at the end of the row, and Nara found it without too much trouble. There was a distant hum of voices coming from inside the room, and Nara couldn’t help a smug smile. Wiping it off her face, she entered the door. “Excuse me?”

“What is it?” A cranky voice asked, pulling the door open fully. An older woman stood before Nara, glowering with insane ferocity, but the expression quickly disappeared at the sight of what Nara carried. “Oh, food, excellent. Bring it in girl.” Nara bowed her head in submission and moved into the room.

The two officers largely ignored her as she bustled about the tent, making a great fuss on how she placed the tray. Nara only had to wait a minute before they began talking again. “So what were you saying about the prince?” The other officer said, pitching his voice low.

“The banished prince, you mean,” Officer Ganzo said with a cruel laugh. “What a joke. Well, his ship came into port while you were sleeping. Tried to say it was damaged by an Earth Kingdom ship.” Nara had seen this happen, seen young Prince Zuko walk off his ship full of anger and spite. He had been banished, for reasons that had never become known, and was on a quest for redemption. He didn’t seem like someone she’d want to be friends with. “I’m sure Zhou gave him the royal treatment?”

Ganzo snorted. “Not quite. While the prince and his uncle were being entertained, we _questioned_ the crew. Learned something very interesting.”

At this, there was a long pause and Nara sensed that her continued presence would not be welcomed. So she withdrew from the tent, murmuring her respects, and made a great show of walking away. Then, when she felt like the two officers would trust she was gone, Nara crept back closer to the opening of the tent. Nara had known that the crew were going to be questioned, likely through nefarious means. It was no secret that Commander Zhou had little respect for Prince Zuko, and she wanted to discover what it was that he was so interested in. The commander was important to the Fire Nation, and a close confidante to the Fire Lord. Nara had worked to get close to him all this time in order to find some way to take him down, but so far had been unsuccessful in discovering more than his favourite meal.

“Well, what was so interesting?” The second officer was asking. “Spit it out already.”

“Alright, alright,” Ganzo said with a laugh. The wooden chairs in the tent squeaked under her shifting weight. “So Zuko was in the South Pole, looking for the Avatar hiding there amongst the Water Tribe. And apparently the Avatar was _there_. Some Airbender kid, and he gave Zuko the slip. I imagine Zhou’s is being told right now.”

Nara faintly heard the other Officer begin to say something but tuned it out. The Avatar was a legend that turned into a myth. A master bender of all four elements, the only one of their kind, and a bridge between the spirit world and their world. Nara’s father had told her the stories, but she hadn’t thought to consider the Avatar might return. The Avatar was a truth that had long been forgotten by the world, except as a distant hope that one day they would be reborn and the world set free from the tyranny of the Fire Nation and its hundred-year war. But the Avatar had not been seen for a hundred years since the Air Nomads had all been wiped out, and it was assumed the Avatar had been destroyed alongside them. Now Fire Nation soldiers were saying that the Avatar was alive, and somehow only a child.

Leaving quickly, Nara tried not to look too flustered as her mind raced. If this was all true, if the Avatar was truly alive and back, then her carefully laid plans needed adjusting. The return of the Avatar would undoubtedly mean a shift in this never-ending war. This was bigger than taking out Zhou now. If she could get this information back to her friends, spread word to their contacts, then the various rebellions against the Fire Nation through the Earth Kingdom and beyond could be given the spark of hope needed for them to keep fighting. Nara had seen too many people lose their motivation and drive against the war, to see them grow too tired to keep fighting the long defeat their kingdom had been suffering. Nara would have to leave to deliver that message. There was no hope of her being able to send it from here, not even encoded.

Nara was tempted to go straight to the servant tent to grab her things and leave without delay. With this oncoming news, the base would go on lockdown while Zhou planned his next move. There was no doubt that he’d know by now what Zuko’s crew had revealed. Once he did, the news would spread like wildfire throughout the camp and everyone would be awake and alert. Which was exactly why Nara didn’t go to the tent. Instead, she returned to the kitchens. If she tried to leave now it would attract too much attention, and that was the last thing she needed. The soldiers would be looking for people trying to leave, a sure sign of a spy in their midst, and Nara was smarter than that. She needed to be quicker and cleverer than every other person in this base.

The kitchens were already abuzz with the news when Nara came back. Miya, another server, came up to Nara as soon as she walked in. “Did you hear? Commander Zhou is holding Prince Zuko and General Iroh in his tent.” The girl’s eyes were wide with excitement. It was rare the kitchens had anything to gossip about other than military successes. “Hima told me that they found the Avatar, but he escaped from him. Can you believe it?”

Nara offered a tight smile. “Hardly. It’s incredible, right?”

Miya’s face fell. “Oh I’m sure the Fire Lord will be furious. Zhou’s planning on leaving to find the Avatar immediately. He’s already gathering a team. I wonder which of us will have to go on the ship.”

Zhou was leaving with a large crew? That settled it. Nara couldn’t afford to be stuck on a voyage for months on Zhou’s ship. Given she had only just gotten off a ship crew, it was likely that she would be chosen as part of the servant crew this time as well. Her mission was due to finish up in two weeks anyway, she was just going to have to leave early and not wait for the retrieval team.

Stopping to take in a deep breath, Nara approached her superior Hima. An older woman with a gentle heart, Hima was a rarity in the staff of the Fire Nation. “Hello, Nara,” The older woman said at her approach, giving her a curious glance. “What are you after?”

“Always able to see straight through me,” Nara joked, hoping what she said wasn’t true. “There’s so much happening. Anything need doing?”

Hima understood the request. She was a resistance contact herself and had been put in touch with Nara immediately upon arrival. The woman handed her a tray of tea. “Well, there was a request to bring more tea to Zhou’s command tent. _Apparently_ an angry young man spilt what was there. Perhaps you could take it for me.”

Nara smiled widely, taking the tray in both hands. “I’d _love_ to.”

* * *

The entry to Zhou’s command tent was guarded, but that didn’t matter to Nara. With the pot of tea she carried and the servant’s garb, the guards barely blinked at letting her inside. If she were disguised as a soldier she would have been questioned, but servants were dismissed as unimportant. That was what made her role so perfect. There were only two people inside the tent. One was a pleasant-looking older man sitting patiently at a table, and the other a tall young man with a burn scar covering one side of his face and anger issues. General Iroh and Prince Zuko, the two people everyone was talking about.

When Nara walked in, Prince Zuko immediately looked over at her and scowled. “Looks like your tea’s here, uncle,” he said, looking away from her in disgust. Nara wrinkled her nose. Rude.

“I’ll come back later, shall I?” she drawled.

General Iroh smiled at her almost apologetically. The Prince looked like he was about to launch into a tirade, but his uncle cut across. “Thank you kindly for the tea. Would you care for a cup? I am sure you must all work so hard in this base.” His words were kind, but Nara picked up on the sly suggestion that Commander Zhou might be a cruel leader and couldn’t help her smile. “No, thank you, General Iroh. I would not want to impose.” She began to set out the cups and poured a cup for the General. Not expected, but she could pass it off as a kind gesture. It allowed her to listen in on the next conversation.

“Why do you care so much about your stupid tea?” Prince Zuko complained. “Zhou is threatening to take over the search for the Avatar, to take away everything I care about, and all you do is sit there. Doesn’t it bother you?”

“There is nothing that can be accomplished by anger and frustration,” General Iroh simply said. “Instead, a calming cup of tea might help you to reflect on your situation and think of a way to solve it.” The words seemed only to anger the prince further, and his face twisted in anger, but he slumped into the chair across from his uncle. Nara tried not to smirk. It was obvious that there were few things Prince Zuko did that weren’t done in anger and frustration. Though she supposed that she couldn’t judge. A lot of Nara’s friends, and she herself, were driven by the same motivations, though to entirely different ends.

Their conversation was interrupted by Zhou’s return. Nara quickly moved to the side of the tent as Zhou walked inside, already speaking. “My search party is ready. Once I’m out to sea my guards will escort you back to your ship and you will be free to go.” The commander had his hands on his hips, looking down upon the banished prince and General with a smug expression on his face. Clearly Zhou found this a favourable turn of events, despite the return of the Fire Nation’s greatest enemy. He was a vain and opportunistic man. Zuko fumed. “Why? Are you worried I’m going to try and stop you?”

At the prince’s question, the commander merely laughed. “You? Stop me? Impossible.”

Nara could see the fury building on Prince Zuko’s face and began to back toward the way out. It was one thing to listen in on a conversation, but the conflict between important members of the Fire Nation, banished or not, were notorious for collateral damage. And if she tried to defend herself, then she was exposed. As she still hadn’t decided which was worse, her best option was to escape. “Don’t underestimate me, Zhou,” The prince warned. “I _will_ capture the Avatar before you.”

Surprising everyone, General Iroh stood. “Prince Zuko, that’s enough!” Zuko might have listened to his uncle, but Zhou decided to taunt him further. “You can’t compete with me. I have hundreds of warships under my command, and you, you’re just a banished prince. No home, no allies. Your own father doesn’t even want you.”

Clearly that was too much for Zuko to handle. As he began to yell, Nara was rooted to the spot. She knew she should leave, but everything that was happening had rendered her useless. All she could do was watch. “You’re wrong,” Zuko argued. “Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honour and restore my rightful place on the throne.”

“If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now. Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes, you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation.” Zhou had clearly hit home as Zuko twitched, and Nara couldn’t help but wince. Prince Zuko might be one of her enemies, but that would suck for anyone to hear, Fire Prince or not. “That’s _not true_!” At that moment, the Prince of the Fire Nation just looked like a wounded kid.

“You have the scar to prove it.”

That gave Nara a pause. The scar across the Prince’s face, covering his eye, was clearly from a burn. There was plenty of talk about the scar, and most assumed it was some sort of accident. The words of Commander Zhou seemed to suggest otherwise. The mention of the scar clearly angered Prince Zuko and he roared, standing to face Zhou. “Maybe _you’d_ like one to _match_?”

Zhou scoffed. “Is that a _challenge_?”

“An Agni Kai, at sunset,” The Prince responded, the two of them glaring at each other. Nara raised an eyebrow. An Agni Kai between the Prince and the Commander would keep the kitchens talking for months.

Zhou considered the challenge. “Very well. It’s a shame your father won’t be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your uncle will do.” The commander left the tent. Nara followed, with one last glance back towards the Prince and General.

An Agni Kai, she couldn’t believe her luck. No doubt with that on at sunset, the entire base would be distracted. No one would notice her slip out and make her escape. Nara quickly made her way to the servants quarters. Sunset was not long away and she needed to move quickly. Once she had her possessions, there was one last thing she needed to do and she was out. Finally. Long missions such as this one made her miss her home a little too much for comfort.

As she had thought, the quarters were empty and dark by the time Nara arrived. Beds were messy and clothing spread far and wide where people had obviously flung them in their hurry to leave. Nara’s own bed was made perfectly with the sheets tucked to military standard, and her clothes done in the same way out of habit. There was little Nara had risked bringing with her to the base, and other than a notebook filled with encoded observations she only had the clothing required for her job. Everything else was waiting for her a mile outside of the camp, concealed in an empty barn.

Two minutes was all Nara needed. That was how long it took for her to collect her things and to muss up her bed in the same way the others had been. It would hopefully buy her some time. When someone realised she was gone, they might see the bed and assume she’d left to watch the Agni Kai and just hadn’t returned yet. Nara could only hope that the other servants would be so stupid as to wait until morning to see if she had come back. People weren’t expecting her betrayal, after all, they didn’t even know who she was. Nara stuffed the bags she’d packed under her bed, and watched the skies through the opening of the tent for the sky to burn a brilliant red.

* * *

Moving quickly through the base, Nara made her way back to the command area of the camp. There were several tents aside from that of Commander Zhou’s of interest. The one she was most keen on was the tent that held the records of the base. It included infantry and naval movements, intelligence on the Earth Kingdom, and would perhaps even hold a write up of the interrogation of Prince Zuko’s crew. If Nara could steal those, then at least she wouldn’t be leaving empty-handed aside from a vague tale about the Avatar’s return. As important as that was, there were some who would expect more from her, herself included.

The tent was one of the furthest from the water, and therefore harder to sneak into. Two guards stood at the entrance, but their gaze was fixed away in the distance, towards where the Agni Kai would soon begin. So long as they were distracted, Nara should be able to make a small amount of noise without notice—but she couldn’t bet on it. Nara lingered out of earshot, testing her leather shoes against the ground. Nothing. If she kept her steps light there would be no reason for the guards to suspect that someone was breaking in.

The sun was already beginning to dip below the sunset and create long shadows. Nara used them to work her way around to the side of the tent, just out of the peripheral vision of the two guards. The edges of the tent were seamed together, she knew, so Nara held a sharp kitchen knife against her arm that she’d snuck out the day she got to base. It would take time to cut a hole big enough for her to slip through, so Nara would have to move fast.

The walk across the gap from the tent she was concealed behind to the records tent was agonising. Nara wanted to move quickly, to get out of sight before a guard turned around, but she knew that any fast movements were more likely to draw attention. So she forced herself to keep low and creep across the gap. The guards were talking amongst themselves, paying more attention to their bets on the Agni Kai than anything else.

Finally, she reached the tent. Drawing the knife out from under her sleeve, Nara worked it into the seam of the tent and began to drag it backwards and forwards. At first, nothing happened. The tough thread held up against the blade. Nara grits her teeth and worked harder. Times like these she almost wished it was common practice for Fire Nation servers to carry swords. Backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards. Eventually, the seam began to slice open. Once it did so, the rest came apart easily.

Inside the tent was dark, with no light flooding in the thick canvas, so Nara had to let her eyes adjust. Two walls were lined with shelves, most of which had scrolls filling every place in the shelves. In the centre of the room, there was a desk, with parchment and ink. Moving closer, Nara could see that someone had been writing something up. No doubt this was the scroll that contained what Zhou’s soldiers had learned from the crew of Prince Zuko. Stuffing that into her bag, Nara moved over to the shelves and threw scrolls in at random. There wasn’t enough time for her to check each one for relevance, so she fit as many as she could in her bag until it was at the point of bursting.

Nara was nearly out free, scrolls and all, when in the partial dark she missed a chest sitting low on the floor beside the desk. As she was moving to leave, her foot collided with it. Loudly. “What the hell?” She heard a guard exclaim. Nara swore under her breath. Of all the things to happen, she just _had_ to kick something. Footsteps approached the tent, and Nara stuffed the last of the scrolls tightly into her bag. She could see the shadows of the two guards coming closer on the entrance to the door, with the sun behind them as it were, and moved closer herself, waiting until they were within reach.

As the first went to open the door, Nara lashed out, hitting towards his face through the gap in the canvas. She ducked down and pushed through, kicking at the second guard’s feet. Caught by surprise, they lagged for a second, which gave Nara enough time to sprint for her life. “Hey, come back!” The first yelled, the anger apparent in his voice, and Nara heard him start to give chase. Risking a glance back as she ran through the tents, Nara could see that there was no way he was going to be able to catch up to her while so heavily weighed down with armour. She risked a sarcastic wave, greeted by more yelling, then turned a corner so he could no longer see her.

A few more turns and Nara paused to catch her breath, leaning against a rock. Already her bag was beginning to dig painfully into her shoulders, and a satchel wasn’t ideal for running, but she couldn’t stop now. Even with the distraction of the Agni Kai, there was now no doubt that she was a deserter, or whatever the servant equivalent was. With the scrolls she had stolen too, no doubt someone would be sent after her, even just as a token effort. Which meant she had to get clear of the camp and back to the rest of her stuff as soon as she could, to change out of the recognisable garb. Then Nara could do what she did best: blend in.

Hearing yelling nearby, Nara sucked in one last deep breath and took off running and didn’t look back.

* * *

“So, you abandoned your mission?” Her leader wasn’t looking at her and was instead looking down at the map in front of him.

“I changed the mission,” Nara countered, leaning against the tree trunk. “Trying to get rid of Zhou was a suicide mission anyways—you should be happy I chose not to follow through.”

“If you were as good at your job as you claim, you would have found a way. Now you bring me the news that the Avatar is alive, which is all well and good, but we lost our chance to destroy one of the key players in the war!”

“Jet—”

“I don’t _care_ that the Avatar is alive,” Jet burst, standing up to face her. The lines of his face drew into sharp lines as he stared her down. “You were _supposed_ to follow orders. Even if you’d ended up on Zhou’s ship for a few months, we would have heard the news about the Avatar eventually.”

Fury burned in her chest, and Nara’s hands pulled into fists. “I made a judgement call, Jet. If the Avatar is back, after all this time, then the war is more important than ever. I decided it was more important to spread the news that the Avatar was alive as soon as possible, to give people more time to prepare than to eliminate one commander out of many willing to step into his place.”

Jet waved a hand, dismissing her. “I know you did what you think was right Nara.” He sighed deeply, turning back to his map. Nara took that as her cue to leave. “Oh, and by the way,” Jet called, stopping her in her tracks, “Soren was captured.”

“ _What_?” Nara froze, glaring at him. “When did this happen? Why did no one tell me?”

Jet frowned at her, a strangely cold look on his face. “It was two weeks after you left. There was a night raid, and by the time the smoke cleared, half the troops we’d ambushed, and Soren, were gone.” The leader of the Freedom Fighters held her gaze. “As to why I didn’t send word to you while you were undercover… Well, I guess I made a _judgement call_ of my own. There was no way to track him, nothing you could have helped with. There was no point.”

Nara spat on the ground of the tree hut in disgust. “Soren’s my family, Jet. I deserved to know.”

“No Freedom Fighter deserves _anything,_ Nara,” he reminds her. “They earn it.”


	2. The Avatar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Avatar stumble into the picture, Sokka is #smart and Jet is shady

The soldiers were loud—and boisterous too. Nara could hear the fights, not to mention the wagers being placed on them, from the safe distance she waited. Longshot’s face grew darker the longer the two of them sat in silence. He said little the majority of the time, but Nara always felt his silence when they were near to Fire Nation troops. Longshot had more than enough reason to hate the soldiers. They all did.

The rest of their team announced their arrival with a bird call, climbing down from the trees to join the pair on the ground. Jet was there (he never missed a mission) along with the usual suspects of Smellerbee, The Duke, Sneers, and Pipsqueak. There were plenty more members of the Freedom Fighters, but their team were the real fighters. Other recruits were lumped with the menial work of keeping the place running.

“What’re we dealing with?” Jet questioned.

“Maybe twenty soldiers. Seasoned, not fresh. Definitely some benders among them, didn’t see many holding primary weapons.”

Sneers pales a little at that, but the others hardly balk. Firebenders they could handle. “Supplies?” Jet prods.

Nara nods. “Plenty. The three buildings won’t have much, but there’s plenty lying around outside. Few carts too.”

Smellerbee elbows Pipsqueak, with a hint of a smirk. “Guess you’re up for those.” The giant responds to the teasing with a huff and pushing the girl’s elbow away. Longshot gave a small sigh, drawing Jet’s attention. The boy’s eyebrows drew in, considering the unspoken problem. The Freedom Fighters were a proud bunch, to be sure, but even they couldn’t go up against twenty soldiers without issue. “We’ll wait in the trees,” Jet decreed. The Duke made a face but wisely didn’t argue. “Wait until they’re distracted.”

“That could take hours,” Smellerbee protested.

Nara laughed. “So, we wait for hours. Got places to be?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know!”

“ _Enough_!” Jet’s voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the squabbling. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Every muscle in her body was as stiff as it was sore. Her vision had blurred into a vague collection of red and orange from the trees the worse the eye strain became. If she weren’t hidden in the foliage above a Fire Nation camp Nara would have rolled her shoulders, stretched her legs. As it were she hadn’t moved a muscle since settling into her perch. Movement would be what got her caught.

Her companions were less cautious. Jet was almost carelessly relaxed, draped over a branch with a smug smirk as he waited for his chance to strike. Smellerbee seemed to always be moving, and though she couldn’t see Pipsqueak or Sneers hiding near the ground, she _had_ seen The Duke pick his nose at one point. First of all, gross—but it also proved her point arguing about the kid coming on these missions. He didn’t even have half the discipline the others possessed, let alone the amount they _should_ have. Only Longshot was any good at it, better than her. When he tried, even Nara couldn’t pick him out from his roost.

The soldiers were eating. It was all they seemed to do. Smells of roasting meat drifted up into the trees and Nara found herself wishing that she’d thought to eat a bigger meal before this. There was plenty of food to go around, and Nara watched the greedy soldiers going back for seconds, then thirds, with a pit of disgust in her stomach. Sure, the Fire Nation soldiers could afford to be well fed when they were allowed to raid villages and demand supplies whenever their rations ran low.

Nara might have obsessed over this food for a few more hours if not for the arrival of three travellers. Three kids to be more precise, and they didn’t so much as arrive as they did as stumble in out of nowhere. The mumble of voices had been audible first, enough to put the soldiers on alert and make Jet sit up. Then, one boy straight-up walked into the camp through the bushes, still talking all the while.

Until he turned and saw the Fire Nation troops looking at him. The expression on his face was nearly comical. Nara knew right away that he was Water Tribe by the style of dress, and the girl he was with was the same. The younger boy was a little harder to identify, but it didn’t matter. Clearly, none of them were friends to the Fire Nation, as the boy yelled, “run!”

Obviously the soldiers came to the same conclusion as Nara and leapt into the attack. All three travellers had immediately ditched their gear, a smart move, but it didn’t help much. A firebender sent out a burst of flame, hitting the bush behind them and cutting off their escape. The three grouped together, and Nara could swear she just about saw the girl use waterbending to put out the fire on the Water Tribe boy’s shirt. Again, her gaze caught on the youngest boy. He wore yellow and orange, but more interesting were the tattoos on his shaved head. Blue arrows. They were agonisingly familiar…

A voice to Nara’s side drew her attention away. It was Jet, trying to get her attention. “We go now, while they’re distracted.”

It was perfect, really. Not only were the soldiers completely captivated by their new prey, but now Jet could spin this as a rescue mission. Nara nodded to show her understanding, and Jet waved Longshot down. This was common practice. Let Longshot take out a few soldiers from a distance first to thin the ranks, then the rest of them hit hard.

The three travellers were still standing, but it seemed only because the Water Tribe boy was trying to talk his way out of it. “If you let us pass we promise not to hurt you.” Bluffing. Risky, but Nara could see why he tried. Outnumbered six to one, the odds weren’t great anyway.

The boy had better odds than he factored. While the Fire Nation soldiers laughed, Longshot drew a blunt arrow and aimed it for their leader’s head.

Longshot’s aim struck true. Before he knew what hit him the soldiers crumpled to the ground, leaving very shocked soldiers looking at three very confused kids.

“How’d you do that?” The younger boy asked his friend.

“Uh…Instinct?”

The girl, sharp eyes already scanning, figured differently. “Look!”

What she pointed at was Jet, who had decided to make himself known. Moving from the relative safety of the foliage, he launched himself down to the ground with his distinct and risky flair. He took out two soldiers by landing on top of them, and Nara realised it was time to move.

The conflict began below as soldiers converged on Jet, but Nara ignored them as she slid down the rope she’d attached to her branch hours before, her leather handguards the only thing between her and rope burn. In the time it took for her feet to hit the ground, Jet had taken on another two soldiers and was working on the fourth. “Took your time,” he goaded.

“I wanted to give you a head start. You looked like you needed it.”

The three kids were still staring, mouths agape, when Nara caught their attention. “Hey, don’t just stand there,” she called, drawing her sword. It seemed to snap them out of their daze, and the three moved into action. The Water Tribe boy reached over his shoulder for a weapon, while the girl summoned water out of a pouch with bending. The other boy was more of a mystery, seemingly dancing through the soldiers without a single one of them landing a blow.

But Nara didn’t have time to concern herself with the unknown at that time. Instead, she focused on what was happening in front of her. The Duke joined the fray, with Sneers and Smellerbee not far behind. A thud sounded right behind her, and Longshot took out a soldier that had been about to ambush Nara. With a nod of thanks, she pushed ahead.

Keeping her movements swift and sharp, Nara went after the Firebenders she could see. She was faster than some of her friends and trusted herself more to take them on. One saw her coming, blade raised, and sent a fist flying. Anticipating the burst of flame coming her way, Nara dropped to skid beneath it, coming out of it a short distance from the bender. With a flick of her wrist, her blade glanced the side of his helmet, and the soldier was down.

His friend lifted a weapon of his own, a spear, and went on the attack. Nara ducked and weaved as the long weapon lunged for her. She stumbled over a log bench and narrowly avoided taking a spear point to the shoulder. The soldier was surprised he missed, which gave her enough time to draw a knife in her right hand and sever the point of the spear from the handle. At the sight of his newly useless weapon, the soldier bolted.

Backing up from the sight, Nara bumped into someone else. Gripping her sword in her left hand and knife in her right, she spun ready to fight whoever she encountered.

“Woah, woah!” The Water Tribe boy yelled, raising his hands. In one he held what appeared to be some kind of… boomerang? Nara had never seen one used in battle, but this one was metal and all sharp edges. The guy lifted a brow at her weapons, still at the ready, and she lowered them with a wince. “Sorry.”

“No worries, I’ll try not to bump into someone who looks more than capable of stabbing a person next time I’m in a fight.”

Nara looked around, and most of the soldiers were either unconscious or running for the hills. The last few ran, and Nara clapped a hand to the Water Tribe guy’s shoulder. “Not a bad effort.”

He screwed up his face. “I didn’t get to actually fight anyone. That _guy_ butted in before I could.” The _guy_ who was on the receiving end of his icy blue stare was, of course, Jet. _He_ was already busy chatting to the Water Tribe girl, a fact which didn’t seem to make her companions too happy.

The kid with tattoos looked at the Freedom Fighters and newly acquired campsite with awe. “You just took out a whole army almost single-handed!”

Nara concealed a snort with a cough. “Don’t mind the rest of us.”

“Army?” the Water Tribe boy said with a scoff, moving over to where his friends were with Jet. “There were only like, twenty guys!”

“Plus more than one of us,” Nara pointed out, and the kid got the point.

“Oh, sorry!” He smiled brightly as if to make up for it. Something about the smile drew Nara back to the tattoos, then it clicked. “Hey, those tattoos! You’re an airbender?”

“Sure am!”

“Then…” Nara trailed off, eyes drifting to Jet. He caught her glance and shook his head minutely. Curious, Nara decided to keep her mouth shut. If this kid was an airbender, then it also meant he had to be the Avatar. If Jet had seen the kid bend, then he would have also pieced that much together for himself. What Nara wanted to know was why he was playing dumb.

Jet pushed past the travellers until he was standing with their friends and her. He had morphed from ‘arrogant fighter’ into ‘welcoming leader’ almost seamlessly. “My name is Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters,” he began, running the three though the introductions of them all. Pipsqueak was introduced last, and the kid walked over laughing. “Pipsqueak, that’s a funny name!”

Unfortunately for him, he thought he was talking to the Duke, but instead found himself faced down by the giant. “You think my name is _funny_?”

“It’s hilarious!”

After a few moments of consideration, Pipsqueak roared with laughter.

“What about you three?” Jet asked, looking at the Water Tribe girl. Upon closer inspection, Nara had been more confident in that assessment. It wasn’t just that their clothes were blue, but both had the pale blue eyes and warm brown skin of both the Northern and Southern tribes. The girl was obviously a waterbender, but the boy also carried weapons with distinctive water tribe character to them. Plus the hairstyle, shaved at the sides and the hair on top pulled into some sort of tail, definitely wasn’t Earth Kingdom.

The girl led their introductions, playing with the ends of her long braid. “I’m Katara, and the idiot over there is my brother Sokka.” The idiot in question screwed up his face. “We’re from the Southern Water Tribe. The airbender is our friend Aang.” Jet smiled at the girl, and Nara saw a blush rise easily to her cheeks. Of course, another girl caught by the allure of Jet’s charm. Whilst immune to it herself, Nara could understand what it was girls saw in the boy. Passionate, inspiring, and the rebellious nature of him had not been lost on girls before. Nara caught Longshot’s eye and lifted her brows in Jet’s direction. He ducked his head to hide the hint of a smile that slipped. Both of them had often teased Jet for the attention he received from girls in their own ways, and it had become something of an inside joke for the three of them.

Jet caught the look and frowned at them both, clearing his throat. “Well, we better start to collect these supplies.”

Taking their cue, all the Freedom Fighters began to collect and open the crates. Nara hung back, hoping to catch a moment alone to talk to Jet about the airbender, but the Water Tribe girl, Katara, was loitering. So, she decided to go straight to the source.

“Aang, was it?” She asked, approaching the airbender. He was feeding the creature on his shoulder, a small white and black thing, with wide goofy eyes. The kid gave her a smile. “Yep! And you’re Nara?”

“That’s me. So if you’re an airbender, which temple are you from?”

Aang looked surprised by the question but didn’t lose his cheery manner. “The Southern Air Temple.” It wasn’t a surprise, but part of her had hoped he would say differently. Never mind that. “You know,” she began, a hand on her hip. “I heard that no airbenders had been seen in, oh, a hundred years give or take.” Aang started to protest, but she spoke over him. “Though I did hear rumours about this one kid, an airbender who is also somehow the Avatar.” What she didn’t say was that all the intelligence she’d gathered in the weeks since she’d returned to the Freedom Fighters suggested that not only had the Avatar returned, but that the boy in front of her was the same Avatar from a hundred years ago, but that he’d somehow been frozen in ice for the last century of war. Which explained the presence of the Water Tribe siblings. A guilty expression found its way onto Aang’s face. “I’m not trying to hide, I swear! It’s just…”

“Not the best conversation starter?” she prompted, and he nodded sullenly. Nara felt bad for the kid, truly. Had to be rough to wake up one day to discover your entire civilisation had been destroyed, and that the nation responsible for it was now hunting you down. Props to Aang for being so cheerful still. Nara had been through a lot less and coped a whole lot worse.

The conversation was interrupted by the Duke. “Hey Jet, these barrels are filled with blasting jelly.”

Jet, who had been talking to Katara, looked thrilled. “That’s a great score!”

Pipsqueak held up a crate. “And these boxes are filled with jelly candy!” He, and the others, looked more excited about the later. Jet just gave an amused chuckle. “Also good. Let’s not get those mixed up.”

“I’ll put money on it being Sneers that tries to eat the blasting jelly,” Nara called to Smellerbee. The other girl just rolled her eyes.

“No way am I betting against that.”

“Hey!” The protest came from Sneers. “Come on, it’d have to be Pipsqueak.”

The giant grunted in annoyance as he loaded crates onto a wagon. “I’m not stupid!”

“Yeah, be quiet Sneers and help us load up,” the Duke snarked. He too began to pick up their score. “We’ll take this stuff back to the hideout.”

That caught Aang’s attention real quick. The airbender practically bounced with excitement, and Nara again amazed over the apparently never-ending optimism of the kid. “You guys have a _hideout_?”

“You wanna see it?” Jet offered. Katara began to beam herself.

“ _Yes_ , we wanna see it!”

Nara didn’t miss the strangely fond look Jet gave the girl.

* * *

Something was wrong.

Nara couldn’t figure out what it was she was missing, but whatever it was had her on guard. On the long walk back to the hideout she watched and listened as Jet talked to Aang and Katara, watched the way Sokka viewed everyone with mistrust and suspicion. It wasn’t just Nara who was on guard. Smellerbee and Sneers had their heads together the whole way back, glancing between Jet and the benders, and Longshot’s hands kept straying to his quiver. Jet was busy entertaining, but even his shoulders were tense. Only the Duke and Pipsqueak were unconcerned.

A groan sounded from overhead, and Nara peeked through trees to see the Avatar’s sky bison, Appa, was still hovering overhead. The creature hadn’t been a surprise, really. Every report of Avatar sightings had been preceded by sightings of the sky bison. But Nara was still fascinated by him. Though he could fly, Nara saw no indication of how he was actually managing to do so. Appa had no wings, and if the world made any sense at all he would be landlocked given his gigantic size. Yet, he flew. It was as infuriating as it was fascinating.

Not for the first time, Nara found herself wishing Soren was still here. Her closest friend, practically family, he was the only one she truly felt comfortable talking with. Jet she trusted about as far as she could throw him, and while her and Longshot were… _close_ , it was only so far as they drew comfort from the fact that neither of them talked about their past. Instead, she tried to picture what Soren would say if he were here. He trusted people even less than Nara, with a combined sense of protectiveness towards her, and fear of anyone that wasn’t their families. Soren would say that they couldn’t take a chance on the unknown—if the Freedom Fighters were up to something, then she had to find out.

“We’re here” Jet called, interrupting Nara’s thoughts. The procession halted at the base of an old and thick tree trunk, with Sokka looking around in confusion.

“Where? There’s nothing here.”

“Hold this.”

“Why?” Sokka viewed the rope with no small amount of distrust. “What’s this do?” Nara was about to step forward, maybe to warn or just to get a better view, when the rope whisked him up into the trees with a fair amount of yelling. Jet grabbed the next rope, unable to hide the smug grin he wore. “Aang?”

“I’ll get up on my own.”

With a rush of air, the boy went soaring up into the sky, bounding from branch to branch with his creature following. So instead, Nara took the rope from Jet and looped her arm through it with a sharp tug. “See you on the other side.”

Nara’s stomach still lurched at the sudden upwards movement, and she kept her eyes tightly closed the entire way up. Only when she felt the speed start to slow did she dare to open her eyes. When she made it onto the platform, Sokka was standing there impatiently. “What the _hell_ was that?”

“Sokka, don’t be so upset,” Aang called from somewhere overhead, but the other boy ignored him and stared Nara down expectantly. “Uh…” Nara hesitated, not entirely sure what he was asking. “It was a rope?”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “I _mean_ , what is Jet up to? Why does he have to keep showing me up like that?” There was clear frustration in his voice, and Nara felt a stab of sympathy for him. She herself knew how hard it could be to be around Jet sometimes.

Before she could say anything, though, Jet and Katara emerged from the foliage. Sokka huffed and stormed off, while Jet and Katara talked amongst themselves. Nara hung back, not wanting to join the others on the grand tour of the hideout. Longshot caught her eye, inclining his head in an unspoken question. He wanted to talk. Though Nara was usually the one to seek out _his_ company, right now she found she just wanted to be alone. She needed time to mull everything over, the arrival of the Avatar and his friends, the secret glances that the other Freedom Fighters were exchanging that Nara wasn’t privy to, and Jet’s suspicious behaviour. Instead, she went in the direction of the trees that made up the living quarters. A series of tents and a few more permanent structures. One of those was Jet’s cabin, but the others were communal buildings, like the armoury and other storerooms.

Nara had a tent to herself, a privilege earned by being with the Freedom Fighters for close to two years. Two years of raids, close calls, and spying. Inside her tent was fairly sparse. It had been years since Nara had any personal belongings to hold onto, losing all of them when she lost her home and her family, and now she didn’t have much more than the sword at her waist, and the clothes on her back. Only a dark blue poncho for the cooler weather, and a bow and arrow she didn’t carry with her.

Laying out on her bed, Nara let out a long breath as the tension of the day finally eased. The hours spent sitting in the tree hadn’t been easy on her muscles. Nara stared at the ceiling, listening to the distant sounds of kids talking. Most of the Freedom Fighters were young, and the arrival of Aang was bound to excite.

That was part of what worried Nara about his arrival. There was no way Jet hadn’t figured out yet that he was the Avatar, and even if he hadn’t Aang was bound to spill the beans on _that_ pretty soon. He didn’t seem like he had a deceitful or a discreet bone in his body. So, what Nara wanted to know was what he was planning to do now that the Avatar had quite literally stumbled into their midst. It seemed obvious to Nara that Aang, Sokka and Katara weren’t going to want to stay. Though the younger two were admittedly fascinated with the place, they were travelling for a reason. Nara wasn’t sure what they were doing, but if the Fire Nation was hunting them they couldn’t stay put for too long.

Which led to Nara’s concerns about Jet. He was smart enough to put this all together himself, yet he’d still invited the Avatar and his friends to stay. Those Fire Nation soldiers had seen Aang and Katara bend, and would no doubt be informing superior officers like Zhou in the coming days. He was putting everyone in this camp at risk, kids he was usually willing to put his life on the line for, and for what?

Groaning aloud, Nara covered her face with her hands. All this theorising and misgivings were causing her one massive headache. For all she knew, Jet just didn’t want to turn away new allies, and her friends were just on their guard with new people around. There was a high probability that she was overthinking things. Wouldn’t be much of a shock since that was what everyone always insisted she did. Overthinking and over planning were her key tactics. But this didn’t feel like that. Something told her to dig, whether it was instincts, mistrust, or just common sense.

* * *

Though dinner was usually a casual affair, with most Freedom Fighters coming through and taking their meals back to their tents or off in small groups, Nara wasn’t surprised to see that Jet was sitting at the long table with the other fighters. Spotting her before she could sulk away, he stood and waved her over. “Nara, come join us.”

Swallowing down the bitter words that sprung to mind, Nara did just that. She sat between Jet and Sneers, avoiding Longshot’s reaching glance from across the table. Sneers noticed her glaring daggers at everyone and shifted nervously out of reach of her and her notoriously painful hands.

“So, what are we celebrating?” she questioned.

“Do you even have to ask?” Jet raised his cup, a sharp edge to his smile. “Today, we struck another blow against the fire nation swine!” He pitched his voice so they could all hear, and Nara stared into her own cup sullenly. It was hard to cheer with the others when her thoughts were so troubled.

“I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face, when the Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog-monkey.”

The Duke rose for a victory lap, and Nara gave him a weak smile. Which was precisely when she noticed Sokka. His arms were crossed and he was glaring at the table as if it were responsible for all his troubles. “Now the Fire Nation thinks they don’t have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees. Maybe they’re right—” Sokka rolled his eyes at Jet as everyone else booed. “—or maybe, _they’re dead wrong_.”

The change in tone startled Nara, and she felt a chill come over her that had nothing to do with the winter air and everything to do with the ice in Jet’s gaze. The kids all cheered, but Nara couldn’t bring herself to fake agreeance. Jet had always been proud of the achievements of the Freedom Fighters, how such a small band could cause so much damage, but he was also realistic. He knew that even with the trouble they caused, they were a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things. That hadn’t bothered him before, not if he could make efforts to protect the valley and the kids who looked to him for guidance. Jet wasn’t a big picture guy.

Nara had never worried too much about the big picture either. The war had been going on for a hundred years and there hadn’t seemed like much she could do about it. So she’d contented herself with small efforts here with the Freedom Fighters. And that had been enough. But now all she could think of when she looked at their small band of warriors was that Jet was kidding himself if he thought he could make them into a threat large enough to cause damage.

Jet sat down between Sokka and Katara, angling his body to cut the other boy out of the conversation. Sokka scoffed, glaring daggers into Jet’s back instead. “Hey, Jet, nice speech,” Katara greeted.

“Thanks. By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That was some great bending I saw out there today.” Nara leaned in to listen more closely. Finally, Jet was going to get to what it was he was planning. Sokka frowned at her.

“What’s up with you?”

She shushed him, much to his exasperation, listening to Katara’s response. “Well, he’s great. He’s the Avatar. I could use some more training.” Jet exchanged a glance with Smellerbee. It was quick, barely there, but Nara caught it. Katara wasn’t so quick on the uptake. The girl flushed, eyes avoiding Jet’s, and Nara felt her heart sink. Clearly the girl was enraptured by Jet, by Nara wouldn’t be surprised if he was only encouraging it to get what he wanted from her.

“Avatar, huh? _Very_ nice.” He didn’t sound surprised in the slightest as he spoke to the Avatar. Aang met her pointed stare and flushed. “Thanks, Jet.”

Jet leaned in closer. “So I might know a way that you and Aang can help in our struggle.”

Nara couldn’t help looking straight at Longshot to find he was watching her, his dark eyes intent. Bitterly, she drank deep from her cup. So, she’d been right. Jet was up to something.

Whatever it was, she wasn’t the only one who was over the mind games. “Unfortunately,” Sokka began, standing as he spoke, and not sounding very sorry for that matter, “we have to leave tonight.”

Jet looked surprised, but Nara could see the wheels turning. “Sokka, you’re kidding me! I needed you on an important mission tomorrow.” He protested.

“What mission?” Sokka asked dubiously.

 _Yeah, Jet,_ what _mission_? It was the first Nara heard of it. Jet held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Fire Nation spies have been coming through the forest, trying to find out where the hideout is.”

“Why is this the first I’m hearing of it?” Nara questioned. As the resident spy, she found it suspicious that she hadn’t been consulted already.

Jet shrugged. “I didn’t want to cause a panic. But Sokka, you’ve seen more Fire Nation soldiers now than anyone here. You can help us to decide who is a threat.”

Sokka didn’t look convinced. He looked between Jet and his friends with a considering gaze.

“Please, Sokka,” Jet murmured. “There are so many kids here. I need you to help me protect them.”

That appeared to be the tipping point of the scales. Sokka sighed deeply. “ _Fine_ ,” he said, rejoining the group. “We’ll stay—for now.”

Katara and Aang were thrilled, but Nara could see Sokka was still cautious. He was the smart one, she decided. The others may be talented benders, but it seemed obvious he was the brains of the operation.

With the issue of the departure of the trio resolved, dinner morphed into talking, and the Freedom Fighters were all peppering the new arrivals with questions. Aang bore the brunt of them, but Nara noticed more than a few being tossed Katara’s way as well. Nara herself was intrigued by the Avatar—obviously—but she couldn’t help but notice the third and somewhat forgotten member of their team.

With Sokka promised a mission in the morning and no longer a flight risk, it seemed the Freedom Fighters had once again decided to push him aside in favour of his companions. So, Sokka had drifted to the edge of the platform with a drink in his hand, and a foul attitude to match. He watched his sister and friend flourish in the limelight with a sullen look, but Nara didn’t miss the daggers he was staring into Jet’s head either. Evidently he still wasn’t won over by the charismatic rebel.

“So you’re staying on for tomorrow, then?” She asked, joining him at the edge. Sokka looked surprised at the company but nodded his head.

“I still think we need to keep moving, but if I insist on leaving now it makes me look like the jerk. So.”

“And you’d rather leave that to Jet?” Nara prodded, feeling the smirk building on her lips. The Water Tribe boy rolled his eyes at her. “Yeah, okay, obviously I have problems with Jet. How could I not?”

“Oh, I don’t blame you. He’s arrogant and far too showy.” Nara lost the joking tone and forced him to meet her eyes. “You asked earlier what Jet was up to, with the way he’s ignoring you. I assume you also meant how he’s showing a _lot_ of interest in the benders?”

Sokka shifted nervously, ducking out of her gaze. “I’m not jealous.”

“No, you’re worried.” Appearing shocked at her bluntness, Sokka opened his mouth and no words came out. Taking that as a confirmation, Nara let her theory run its course. “They’re powerful benders, so they’re useful. Jet is showering them with praise, and all but ignoring you, which makes you think he wants something.”

A pause. “Or it just means that he thinks— _rightly_ —that next to Aang and Katara, what good am I?”

Nara wasn’t sure what to do with that. Though it was clear he didn’t think much of Jet, Sokka seemed to value his opinion an odd amount. Which led her to think maybe it wasn’t about Jet at all. “It’s not that. No really,” she emphasised when he gave her a disbelieving look, “look around you. Everyone here is a non-bender. We’re all trying to fight firebenders and trained soldiers, some of us with not much better than pointy sticks. It’s hard to be hopeful around here. No matter how good of a fighter you are, at the end of the day, you’re like them. You’re their reality, but benders? That’s a fantasy to these kids.”

Sokka pondered her words. “But not to you?”

She shrugged. “I’ve seen a little more of the world, and I’m a pessimist. Aang might be the Avatar but he’s a twelve-year-old kid who has only mastered one element, and Katara is only one bender. I’m not quite ready to hang up my sword and leaving the fighting to them.”

Sokka actually smiled at that and clinked his drink against her own. She nearly spilled it in the process. “Well, Nara, it’s nice to finally meet a kindred spirit.”

Nara was surprised to find herself smiling.


	3. You Either Die a Hero...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freedom Fighter angst, and Nara and Sokka bonding some more

The morning began the same as any other. Nara rose with the sun and brought breakfast back to her tent. It was a collection of fruits, the one food that was in abundance. Though Jet hadn’t gone into any detail about the day’s mission, Nara knew she would be expected to join the others and set about running whetstone along the edge of her sword.

This didn’t chew up much of her morning, as Nara was pedantic about her sword maintenance and the short battle in the previous day had done little to impact the sharpness of her blade. Once she was satisfied that the edge could truly get no sharper, she reluctantly set it to the side in its sheath and sprawled out on her bed to wait.

She didn’t have to wait long, though. “Nara?” A voice called from outside minutes later. It was Longshot. Evidently, he’d been sent to collect her.

“I’m awake.”

A pause. “Can we talk?”

“Funny thing for you to say.” Taking that as his cue, Longshot pushed his way into the tent. Seeing her sprawled out he lifted an amused brow. “Shut up,” she grumbled, reluctantly sitting up. Longshot lifted his hands as if to say _I didn’t say a word_ , but she waved a dismissive hand. “What do you want?”

Longshot sat down beside her. He wasn’t quite touching her, but his shoulder was so close to hers she could feel the chill of the winter air on his skin. Sensing he wasn’t going to answer, Nara got straight to the point. “Aang’s the avatar. He draws a lot of attention.”

A nod. He knew what she meant.

“So why is he still here? Jet’s _planning_ something.” She couldn’t keep the bite out of her words, which Longshot noticed.

“You’re upset.”

“And you’re pointing out the obvious,” she reflected. Longshot frowned, clearly unimpressed with her response. His silence was stifling, and Nara felt herself relenting. “At dinner, Jet said he knows how Aang and Katara can help, and you lot have been acting strange since they arrived. I don’t know what it is Jet’s planning, and no one is talking to me about it, and it is infuriating.”

Longshot was staring ahead as she ranted, refusing to meet her gaze. She could see the waring emotions written plain as day on his face. Unable to help her scoff, Nara stood up. “I know Jet isn’t happy about what happened with Zhou, but cutting me out isn’t going to change anything.”

“It’s not that—” he protested, but Nara snagged onto the words.

“But you don’t deny he’s leaving me out? If it’s not about Zhou, why doesn’t he trust me with this?” She demanded. Longshot, wisely, shut his mouth. It hurt more than Nara wanted to admit, so she decided to do the same. Ice crept into her voice as she said, “You don’t trust me either? Fine. The feelings mutual.” Crossing her arms, Nara stormed out and left him in her tent.

Sokka was already waiting when Nara made it to the forest floor. He winced when he saw the scowl fixed to her face. “What’s put you in a mood?”

“People.”

Sokka laughed. “I thought _I_ was grumpy.” He smiled crookedly, which took the edge out of his comment. Nara couldn’t help her own laugh in response. Seemingly encouraged by the positive reaction, Sokka edged closer. “So, should I be concerned?”

“About my mood?” Nara snorted. “Depends. Do you find it concerning that no one will tell me what it is Jet’s planning for Aang and Katara, which means that it is probably a terrible idea and they know I’ll try to stop them?”

“Um… yes?”

“Then probably.”

He frowned at her. “That’s not at all helpful.”

“Well, you did ask.” Nara sighed, kicking leaves on the forest floor. “Play along today. It might give us a chance to figure out what Jet is up to.”

“Us?” he questioned. “Why are you helping me?”

Why was she helping him? Though Jet was thoroughly annoying her, and she didn’t trust what they were up to if they were going to the effort of hiding it from her, Sokka was a stranger. “I guess I’m trying to make sure I’m doing the right thing.”

It didn’t take long for the rest of their team to arrive. Jet, Smellerbee, and Pipsqueak were the only ones to join them. Longshot’s absence was conspicuous, as Nara had assumed his presence in her tent also meant he’d be coming along. No one else noted it, though, so it seemed she had assumed wrong.

When the time came for them to separate along different stretches of the road, separated by a few trees, Nara went with Smellerbee and Pipsqueak, whilst Sokka was paired with Jet. The water tribe boy caught her eye while he walked off, obviously confused about the arrangement, and she shrugged her shoulders. Evidently, her _friends_ didn’t trust her much with him.

Smellerbee proved her right almost immediately. They’d barely settled into their post when the girl began her interrogation. “So, what’s going on with you and the Water Tribe boy?”

Nara could have mistaken Smellerbee’s question for idle curiosity and gossip, if not for the fact that it would be completely out of character. Smellerbee was suspicious. “Sokka?” She kicked her legs through the air from her position in the tree. “I’ve just been talking to him. He’s nice.”

“Didn’t think you cared much for _nice_ ,” Smellerbee spat. Nara just shrugged, which she knew would irritate the girl further. Based on the way her expression screwed up, it was successful.

“He’s not a Freedom Fighter, Nara.” Smellerbee stabbed the branch with her knife and began to twist. “He might be travelling with your precious Avatar, but that doesn’t mean you can trust him.” What was with people getting on her case today? Couldn’t they just let her stew and be bitter in peace?

“You mean trust him over the rest of you?” Nara cut in, her voice turning cold. She struggled to keep herself calm—she’d learned not to let her temper flare-up in the last few years and she’d be damned if she broke now. “Sorry to say but I’m not sure I trust any Freedom Fighter a whole lot right now.”

Smellerbee scoffed. “What, you’re upset that Jet’s keeping secrets from you? Well too bad, get over it. Maybe Jet thinks your judgement is compromised. Don’t hold a grudge over it.”

“The only thing compromised about my judgement is the fact that I won’t blindly follow him. I went against orders with Zhou, and I got on his case about Soren’s disappearance. Jet’s the one who is holding a grudge.”

“Both of you, quiet,” Pipsqueak murmured from below.

Smellerbee fell quiet, albeit reluctantly, but Nara was now too on edge to want to sit still. Instead, her eyes fell on Jet and Sokka no more than a few trees away, and she stood upon the branch. “Where are you going?” Smellerbee hissed.

“Oh, relax. I’m not going to hand you over to Fire Nation spies or anything.” Without further ado, Nara began to scramble across her branch, and leap into the next tree.

Since returning to the Freedom Fighters, Nara had begun to hate trees. She didn’t like the uncertainty of air beneath her feet, and having to climb everywhere she went. At least at the hideout, she could walk on flat surfaces without everything being a balancing act. But out on missions, everything was always conducted several feet above the ground. That wasn’t where Nara operated best.

“What are you doing?” Jet demanded as soon as she was in whispering range. “If there’s trouble you’re meant to signal.”

“No trouble, I was just bored,” Nara stated. She wasn’t willing to air her fight with Smellerbee just yet. “Anything up this end yet?”

“No, nothing yet,” Sokka replied, giving her a curious look. Jet rolled his eyes.

“Obviously not, because if we knew someone was coming we would have _signalled_ as we _planned_.” He looked incredibly frustrated for someone who so frequently went against his own plans it was ridiculous. Though she supposed out of the two of them Nara was usually the reliable one. Nara would over plan something, ready for every outcome, and then Jet would blow in and ruin it with his improvisation. If he couldn’t trust her to stick to the plan, then he couldn’t trust her to behave the way she normally would. Which was precisely what Nara needed, and an unintended benefit to her argument with Smellerbee.

The three of them settled into a strained silence after that, perched on the same branch. Jet kept giving Nara suspicious looks, ones she returned, and Sokka was rubbing the back of his neck and wishing he was anywhere else. After an indeterminate amount of time, Jet stood.

“It shouldn’t be long now.”

He swung down to a lower branch and let out a bird call. Smellerbee and Pipsqueak showed themselves and returned the call, signifying they were ready.

Sokka, looking thoughtful, drew his jawbone knife and slammed the blade into the tree. Startled, Nara leant closer. “That seems…useful?”

Jet seemed to agree with her sentiment. “What are you doing?”

“Shh, it amplifies vibrations.”

“Huh,” Nara remarked, a hand reaching absently for her daggers. “What do you know.”

Even Jet looked impressed. “Good trick.”

Sokka was too focused to care. “Nothing yet… Wait, yes! Someone’s approaching.”

“How many?” Jet prompted. Sokka closed his icy ices, listening close.

“I think there’s just one.”

Nara smirked. “Easy enough,” she said, drawing her two daggers while Jet signalled to the others. The leader turned to both of them with an easy smile. “Good work Sokka, ready your weapon.”

Realising pretty quick that the knife was no longer useful in its position in the tree, Sokka drew it out in an easy movement. Nara prepared to make the descent to the ground, tensing her muscles, but Sokka’s hand on her arm gave her a pause. “Wait,” he called desperately. “False alarm, he’s just an old man!”

Nara looked closer, and she saw it. An old man hobbling along, aided by a walking stick. She also saw Jet hesitate, just for a moment, before leaping forward. “ _Jet_ ,” she hissed as he soared towards the ground. The bastard, he knew well enough that it was an old man. Yet he went anyways.

"I'll get him," Nara told Sokka, digging her knives into the trunk of the tree. Jet was yet to harm an innocent in front of her and she hoped he didn't start. But, seeing the lethal way Jet held himself as his feet thudded to the dirt, Nara was beginning to feel like Jet didn't care who this guy was. Him being Fire Nation was enough reason. That wasn't going to cut it for her though.

Nara leapt from the branch much like Jet had just done; the only difference is she remains close to the trunk. Her knives give her enough friction to control the descent, but she still makes it to the ground in a short time. Pulling the knife out, she marched in Jet’s direction. "What are you doing in our woods you leech?" Jet demanded, spite dripping from his every word. Nara glared at Jet's back, her dagger still in her hands. "Jet, let's go," She pitched lowly, but he only glanced back at her. The anger in his eyes is enough to make even her flinch. Oh, she was going to find it hard not to bury a knife in him. "Please sir, I'm just a traveller." The old man's voice is calm, but Nara can see the panic lining his features over Jet's shoulder. Her heart clenches at the sight. "Jet," She repeats, this time harsher, but she's ignored.

Jet strode forward and in one angry swipe, knocked the man's walking cane out from under him. Nara clenched her fist but didn’t step forward yet. She wills herself, again and again, to move forward and knock Jet's head in, but the flight instinct was kicking in and she wanted out. She didn’t want to see her friend this way and didn't want to have to face him. They attacked Fire Nation soldiers, not civilians. They were better than that. No matter what she suspected Jet and the others were up to, she hadn’t thought they would sink so low.

The Fire Nation man backed away from Jet in fright, but inevitably ran into Pipsqueak's chest and falls over. Nara took half a step forward as Pipsqueak, Jet and Smellerbee crowd him, her grip tightening on her knives. Jet’s fury boiled over. "Do you like destroying towns? Do you like destroying families? Do you?" Nara searches Smellerbee and Pipsqueak's faces as the man begs for mercy against Jet’s accusations. Were they okay with this new direction? The calm expressions on their faces answered that for her.

"Have mercy," Nara heard the man plead.

"Jet," Nara barks out sharply, and for a moment when he looked at her the anger faded, and she saw regret, but then his attention slid back to the begging man. Well, _that_ wasn't going to work.

"Does the Fire Nation let people go? Does the Fire Nation have mercy?"

Nara started forward when Jet appears to be about to kick the man, seriously considering whacking him around the head, but someone pushes past her and snagged his foot on a club.

"Jet, he's just an old man!" Sokka cried, pulling him away.

The Freedom Fighter rounded on him. “He’s _Fire Nation_.”

Nara finally found her voice and spoke up. “Jet, he’s _innocent_. Just because he’s Fire Nation doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.”

The disgust in Jet’s eyes, the pure hatred, said otherwise. “Search him.”

“But he’s not hurting anyone,” Sokka protested.

“Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed your mother? Remember why you fight!”

Nara didn’t miss the way Sokka flinched, the shock that came across his face when Jet mentioned his mother. It wasn’t something Nara hadn’t heard him mention, so could only assume that Katara had revealed. This was spiralling out of hand way too fast. Smellerbee and Pipsqueak were searching the old man, who was giving them all pleading looks, and Jet looked about ready to lash out at anyone who came near him.

Wanting nothing more than to do that herself, Nara took a deep breath and stood shoulder to shoulder with Sokka. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Jet, who narrowed his eyes. Nara glared right back, that piece of ice in her heart growing bigger with every second. “You’re punishing the wrong people Jet,” she growled. “Not everyone who is Fire Nation is the enemy.”

“Yes, they are. They all stand by while their army destroys our world, why shouldn’t we hold them responsible?”

“Because you don’t know their story,” she burst, waving a hand in his face. “For all you know, this man could have been part of a resistance himself when he was younger. Or maybe he was a soldier. Or maybe he did nothing because this war has been going for a _hundred years_ and sometimes people get tired of fighting. The point is, this man did _nothing wrong_ here today, but you did.”

Jet crossed his arms, refusing to give any ground despite Nara advancing right up into his face. “You’ve seen the Fire Nations brutality yourself, Nara,” he argued. “You’ve gone behind enemy lines. You know what it’s going to take to win this fight, so why aren’t you trusting me with this?”

“Because this won’t win us anything.” All the cold anger had left her voice, leaving her sounding tired. Shaking her head, Nara turned away and shouldered past Sokka.

“We’ve got his stuff, Jet,” Smellerbee announced. Nara could hear Sokka still trying to argue as she walked away.

“This doesn’t feel right.”

“It’s what has to be done.” Though Jet was speaking to Sokka, Nara couldn’t help but feel the words were still meant for her as well. “Now let’s get outta here.”

Nara turned back to see the three Freedom Fighters approaching her, but Sokka was waiting behind. He was giving the Fire Nation man pitying looks, but Jet caught them. “Come on, Sokka.”

The water tribe boy meets her gaze, then drops his own to the forest floor and obliges. Catching up to her, she heard him sigh. “Has he always been like this?”

“Not that I’ve seen,” Nara murmurs. “I—I leave a lot. I’m a spy, it’s what I’m good at. But I refuse to murder anyone in cold blood. Jet’s always known that about me. I guess he figured my moral code wouldn’t agree with this either.”

“Why doesn’t it?” Sokka questioned. “I mean, everyone here is a Freedom Fighter because they’ve been wronged by the Fire Nation somehow. Its made them vengeful. Why are you different?”

Nara wasn’t sure how to answer that, so she stayed quiet while she cast through her thoughts. Finally, she settled on an answer. “Justice.”

“Huh?”

Feeling self-conscious, Nara twists her braided hair in her hand. “I haven’t lost anyone because of the Fire Nation, not directly. I hate the way the Fire Nation has made the world, and what they’re doing to innocent people, and that’s why I chose to fight. Not for revenge, but because it just made sense.”

“You know, a lot of people don’t,” Sokka pointed out. “Some people have lived in an occupied territory so long they forget that they can.”

Nara smiled bitterly. “I didn’t.”

Sokka became contemplative after that, and Nara saw him lost in thought. The other three Freedom Fighters drew ahead, obviously content to let her and Sokka brood, and so Nara took the opportunity to speak freely. “Look, you have to get out of here,” she hissed. “Aang and Katara, whatever Jet wants them for it can’t be good. He’s building up to something, I know it, so if you can get them out of here, maybe it’ll be enough that I can stop him.”

“Makes sense,” Sokka agreed. But then he frowned. “What happens after you stop him?”

That brought her up short. “What do you mean?”

“I _mean_ , Jet won’t be happy if you get in his way. What if he turns his vengeance on you?”

The concern made Nara uncomfortable. She could handle herself, always had, and wasn’t used to other people worrying about that. Even Soren who she’d known her whole life had tended to leave her to her own devices, trusting her to take care of herself. “I’ll be fine,” she reasoned. “Jet might be angry, but we’re still friends. He can cast me out or whatever, but I doubt he’ll do any worse.”

“Oh really,” Sokka snorted, pointing in the direction Jet had disappeared in. “ _That_ person is someone you trust to react rationally to a betrayal?”

Nara shrugged, and Sokka rolled his eyes. “And even if you stop him with whatever his big idea is this time, what about the next plan? Or the next one? How are you going to stop him then?”

“What’s your point, Sokka?” Nara drawled, crossing her arms. “You want me to do nothing instead?”

With a groan of exasperation, Sokka declared, “yes!” Sensing her confusion, he elaborated. “Taking Aang and Katara out of the equation means this plan probably won’t work anyway, so there’s no need for you to stay and wait it out. You can leave with us, and figure out what it is you want to do then.”

There was an unspoken offer in those words. _You can come with us_. Nara didn’t doubt his sincerity—one look at his face was enough as every emotion he felt was written there—but something he said grabbed at her. “But there’s no way to know for sure,” she sighed.

“Know what?”

“If Aang and Katara leaving is enough. Whatever Jets planning I have no doubt he’s been meaning to do for some time. Maybe having them there speeds up the timeframe, but I have to know what he’s up to first.” The Freedom Fighters were her mess, not theirs. Sokka could leave with his sister and friend in tow, but Nara wouldn’t feel right just leaving without seeing this thing through. Sokka’s face fell, but he nodded. “Okay. That makes sense.” Releasing a breath, he gave her a grin. “Would have been nice to have a spy who’s half decent with a sword along for the ride though.”

Nara snorted. “ _Half_ decent?”

“Well, I only saw you take down two soldiers in that fight yesterday.”

“That’s two more than you,” she protested, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. Sokka latched onto that and wagged a finger at her. “Ah, but I have no reputation to uphold! See you talk a lot of game for someone without much bite.”

The pair of them dissolved into teasing each other with clever quips for the journey back to the hideout. It was easy to talk to Sokka. Out of the stressful encounters that their day had become, Sokka fell back into what she took to be his natural state of poor jokes and no short amount of sarcasm. Nara liked to think she was quite witty, that being her main sense of humour, and they easily went back and forth. It was the kind of easy exchange that she missed since she last saw Soren.

She supposed that was what she would do, once she was done with the Freedom Fighters. There was no telling where to start, but that didn’t mean it was hopeless. She could find which soldiers had taken him prisoner, track their movements, and figure out where they’d sent Soren. He had to still be alive because the only alternative was that she’d lost the only family she had left.

The closer they came to the entrance to the hideout, the quieter they were. Both of them were wrapped up in their thoughts and plans. Nara watched Sokka as he walked. His lips moved faintly, almost as if he was speaking silently to himself as he planned, and he was focused and out of it. He would have kept walking past the entrance entirely if Nara hadn’t known to stop. Still, he didn’t say anything.

Only once they were both in the treetops did Sokka speak. “Well,” he ventured, “I better go get Aang and Katara.”

“Good luck with… everything I guess,” Nara offered. Helping Aang master the elements, avoiding Zuko and Zhou, defeating the Fire Nation—there was no shortage of things they needed luck for. Sokka winced, obviously all too aware of that fact themselves. “Yeah, and you too. Be careful.”

With a one-handed salute, Nara spun on her heel and intended to leave, but he called her name once more. Looking over her shoulder, Nara met his icy blue gaze with her amber-brown one. “Thank you,” Sokka said. “Really. You didn’t have to be honest with me about a lot of things, and you were.”

A smile touched her lips. “Don’t mention it.”

Nara strode away, listening to Sokka’s footsteps fade as he went the opposite direction. She wondered what it would have been like, to travel with the Avatar and his friends. She supposed they were travelling for Aang to learn the elements, though they hadn’t confirmed anything. Nara had seen a lot of the world in the past two years, but she imagined she’d see a lot more on the back of a sky bison. And then there was the war. Aang was sure to get in the thick of it, with a banished prince and Zhou both already hunting him. It was that issue of the big picture all over again. Nara wouldn’t be satisfied as a Freedom Fighter. Not anymore. But that didn’t matter. Her one shot of doing something important was leaving, and Nara couldn’t go with them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this one flew out in like a day, so probably means its riddled with gramatical errors but I'm not at a point where I really care. Also is it bad that I spent half the day writing stuff that happens in book 2 in Ba Sing Sei? Yikes


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka and Nara team up, and Katara is crafty

Life was rapidly becoming a depressing mess.

Only a few months ago Nara had been as close to happy as it was possible for her to be. She had friends in the Freedom Fighters, and she had Soren there who she could trust with just about anything. Fighting with the Freedom Fighters had given her a sense of purpose, and she’d been planning her mission to get close to Zhou. Now she was left to wonder if she’d just fooled herself into being happy.

“What the _hell_ is going on with you?”

Jet’s cabin was dark, but not as dark as Nara was feeling. Her rage had been boiling the whole walk back to the hideout, and now she couldn’t help but keep the iciness out of her voice as she confronted Jet. He didn’t look surprised either. They both knew she’d only be able to control herself for so long. Nara had thought she’d mastered the art of patience, but these last few days had tested it to its limits.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Jet shrugged. But the edge of his smile was a little too sharp.

“You know full well,” Nara snorted, pointing an accusatory finger in his direction. “Pretending not to know the Avatar? Fine. Doing your best to get them to stay. Double fine. You’ve got a hidden agenda that you won’t share, I understand. But now you’re going around attacking innocent people?”

Anger flared in his dark eyes. “ _Innocent_? Nara I don’t know where you got this soft spot for _Fire Nation_ scum from, but it needs to stop. None of them are innocent. That man was an enemy, and we needed information. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get it.”

It struck Nara in an instant how tired she felt. Her limbs were heavy and a migraine brewing behind her eyes. Rubbing her temple slowly, Nara shook her head. “Jet, this isn’t what the Freedom Fighters are supposed to be. They’re kids out there—not soldiers. No matter how talented they are or how much trouble they cause, you start showing them the true horrors of war and they’ll never recover. You’re going to break them.”

Shock flitted across his face, and Jet dropped her gaze. Wrapping his hands together anxiously, dodging eye contact, Jet almost looked like the boy he was supposed to be if the war hadn’t been their entire lives. “I know they’re kids. I’m trying to protect them Nara.”

“Against what?” Nara tried to keep the annoyed bite out of her voice, attempting calmness. “The best protection they have is secrecy. So long as the Fire Nation can’t find us here, those kids are as safe as they can be. We start making too much of a problem for the soldiers here and they’re going to tear this forest down tree by tree until there’s nowhere left to hide.”

Jet stood suddenly, surprising Nara. She took an involuntary step forward as he slammed his hands on his table. Releasing a frustrated groan, Jet shook his head and met her gaze. Conflict warred in his eyes, then finally—he spoke. “It’s too late.”

“What does that mean?”

“The soldiers are planning to burn the forest down.”

Shocked into silence, Nara gaped at Jet trying to find the words. His face betrayed nothing more than a hint of frustration, but the corner of his lip quirked the slightest amount. Suspicion won out. “This is a joke, right?” Nara pointed an accusatory finger at her friend. “Why wouldn’t you have said anything?”

“I couldn’t risk everyone finding out about this.” Jet’s tone was all reasonable and calming, the way he spoke to the kids when they were scared, but it only made Nara bristle more. He was trying to put the charisma onto her? Screw that.

“Oh, _sure_. Don’t tell your resident spy the secret plan.” Snorting, Nara stepped closer, trying to keep her voice down. “I wouldn’t have said anything. You know that!”

“Do I? I thought I could predict what you’d do, but then you proved me wrong when you came back from that base with little useable intel and Zhou still breathing.”

Tension grew in the space between them. Nara counted her breaths, biting down on her tongue to keep herself from speaking. Somehow she knew if she tried, she would scream. Her father had spent so many years trying to teach Nara how to control her temper—if only he’d known that losing him forced her to finally listen.

Realising Nara wasn’t going to respond, Jet sighed. The anger was gone from his face, and was now replaced with an expression Nara didn’t recognise on him. He moved his hands between them with uncharacteristic uncertainty. “You’ve never trusted us.” He sounded almost…regretful. “We have been here for you, but you’ve never truly opened up.”

“I shouldn’t have to,” Nara defended. “My past is that—my past.” They all had their sob stories. Jet knew enough of hers to go on, to accept her. He didn’t have a right to anymore. The smile Jet offered her was bitter, not quite reaching his eyes. “Trust goes two ways. You never trusted us to know you and so we don’t. Which means we can’t trust you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Jet. You know you can trust me to want to do the right thing. You just aren’t sure if our definitions line up anymore.”

Deciding to take the last word, Nella left the room before he could say anything more. The fury that had built in her over the conversation had nowhere to go, and Nara felt her hands reaching for her weapons. She needed to spar, to hit something, somehow channel all this rage in a way that she won’t burst. If she asked any of the Freedom Fighters, though, she would have to talk to them. Even Longshot wouldn’t stay silent with her so obviously worked up.

Instead of that, Nara went via her tent and grabbed the longbow and quiver of arrows she’d picked up in an Earth Kingdom city a few months after leaving her home. It was a skill Nara had neglected in her childhood, but one that had become vital in surviving with limited access to money. Hunting with knives and swords was risky, and damn near impossible. She was a crap shot but it was enough for her and Soren to eat when the rations spread a little too thin.

Slinging the quiver over her shoulder and holding the unstrung bow in one hand, Nara left her tent and made for the exit. The route was a long one, as she took every care to try to avoid main thoroughfares, but she still saw a few too many kids for her liking. Many of them skittered out of her way, familiar with her moods and recognising this one as one to avoid. If she was less on a rampage, Nara might have stopped to care.

She should be appeased with Jet’s explanations. The facts were there. Jet was protective, and often became erratic when the lives of his friends were threatened. It explained the previously unseen aggression to a bystander, why he was so obsessed with making Katara and Aang stay for longer. He’d answered all of his questions. Even his reasoning for keeping the truth from her made sense, even if it hurt. Nara knew she couldn’t expect him to trust her when she kept herself separated from the others. But…

No. No more but this, or but that. Nara had asked every question, and been given every answer. There was nothing left for her to be suspicious of, and she was going to let it go. What did Jet’s stories or his accusations matter to her anyways? She was a distant person, so of course he’d respond in kind. It shouldn’t matter. But that didn’t stop the fact that is sort of did.

As if her angry mood had somehow summoned him, Sokka appeared on the bridge ahead of her. He too looked angry, and was storming off, it just so happened to be in the opposite direction to her. Seeing her, Sokka stopped a few feet away. “Oh,” he muttered, running a hand through his dark hair. “I was somehow hoping I wouldn’t run into anyone for at least another fifty years.”

Nara snorted. “Yeah, well, same. You kind of interrupted my sulk.”

“Pretty sure I’m sulkier.” Sokka’s eyes drifted down, and his eyebrows accordingly went up. “Why does it look like you’re about to murder someone with that thing?”

“This?” Nara lifted the bow, gesturing it at him in a threatening way. “Because I am?”

A smile quirked at the corner of his mouth, but quickly disappeared. “I’d almost welcome it.”

Sighing through her own temper, Nara waved a hand in his general direction. Judging by the confused look on his face, Sokka needed a little more information to go on. “Come on, lets hear it. Why are you so grumpy?”

“Well, Jet has Aang and Katara convinced that we need to stay so they can help him fight some _fires_.” The last word Sokka punctuated with wild air quotes. “No matter how much I stress to them how little I trust him, Katara’s too wrapped up in her little crush to listen!”

“What a coincidence,” Nara chimed. “My mood is Jet related too! Big shocker that.”

“You spoke to Jet too then?”

“Uh huh. He told me about these fires.”

“And you believe it?”

Nara shifted uncertainly, not meeting his gaze. “Look, I don’t know. Honestly, no? The Fire Nation love to burn down forests, don’t get me wrong, but it seems a little bit too convenient that right when Jet discovers this, Aang and Katara roll through. But then I can hold a pretty mean grudge so I don’t know if its just me being petty.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I get that, but I feel like its pretty justified. Jet _always_ has some story to spin. The fires, the knife. It’s a little too much for me.”

“What knife?” Nara questioned.

Sokka paused, giving her a long stare. “The knife he claims the old man was carrying? You know, nasty looking thing, with a nifty little compartment for poison?” When she didn’t respond, Sokka threw his hands up in the air. “Jet didn’t even show you it? I _knew_ it was just to get us off his back!”

Sokka continued to rant, but Nara was lost in thought. The knife Sokka had described sounded familiar, but not because she’d seen it that afternoon. No, Nara had been shown a knife like that before her mission to infiltrate Zhou’s staff. She’d considered using it, but had ultimately decided it was far too obvious and bound to expose her.

Sokka was still in the midst of his rant, listing in detail all the ways in which Jet was a dick which apparently included his hair and his ‘ _stupid bit of straw_ ’, but Nara cut across. “So he’s claiming the old man is an assassin?”

“Yes, obviously!” Sokka paced in a circle, hands flailing furiously. “He’s a lying liar. Which you know, so I don’t really know why I keep repeating this information.”

“He’s a liar, but not all the time,” Nara hedged, flicking the end of an arrow. “Maybe he’s using the knife as a cover, so that Aang and Katara don’t leave, but the fires may still be true? Jet didn’t lie to me about the knife after all.”

“But do you trust Jet to be honest?” Sokka asked, turning serious. _Trust_. What had Jet said, that if she didn’t trust him he couldn’t trust her? Nara stiffened her shoulders.

“No, I don’t think he would tell his full plan. There’s something else going on here, and I’d rather know what it is than be surprised.”

Relief passed across his face, and Sokka motioned hurriedly in the space between them. “Okay, so we’re agreed. We both keep an eye out for something amiss, and put our heads together to try and get ahead of Jet?”

“Agreed.” Clasping Sokka briefly on the shoulder, Nara turned away and went back to her shooting. Her mind was far away, and most of her shots went wide, but she was starting to picture Jet’s face at the end of her sight.

* * *

Sokka wasn’t at dinner. Only Aang and Katara showed up, the later holding her head high and huffing whenever someone asked where her brother was. “Oh, Sokka’s just being dramatic,” she would say. Dramatically. Jet smiled pleasantly at her from his place between Longshot and Smellerbee. Nara had planned on taking her food back to her tent, but with the presence of the two benders she was beginning to realise that she would need to stay. She couldn’t take the risk that in her absence, they would discuss plans for building the reservoir up tomorrow.

Nara tried to slink off to the quiet end of the table and observe from a distance, but was surprised to find Katara trying to catch her eye. “Nara, hey,” the girl greeted brightly, patting the empty spot beside her. Feeling Jet’s gaze on her, Nara faked a small smile and slid down beside her, not sure what it was Katara wanted.

“I hear you’ll be helping to fight some fires,” Nara starts uncertainly.

A flush crept onto Katara’s cheeks. “Oh, yes. Sokka’s not exactly happy about it—” cue the eye roll “—but Aang and I want to help.” There was a defensive tone to Katara’s proclamation, like she expected Nara to argue with that.

“That’s good,” Nara hedged noncommittally. Katara did well to hide her surprise, but Nara saw the girl studying her out the corner of her eye.

Swiftly changing tact, Katara leant forward on her eyebrows and raised her eyebrows. “So, how did you end up with the Freedom Fighters? Jet never said.”

“Oh… no,” Nara said with laughter. “I don’t do backstory.”

“Why not?” Katara looked slightly offended, but Nara was quick to ease that.  
“It isn’t you, believe me. I just don’t get into that with anybody. It is too easy for people to start asking leading questions that lead into emotional intimacy.”

Looking more confused than before, Katara frowned. “And emotional intimacy… is a bad thing?”

“To me, yes.” Nara tucked into more food. Swallowing a mouthful, she relented. “I’m self-sufficient. I _like_ being able to handle things by myself. If I talk about myself too much, beyond shameless bragging, then I risk becoming dependent on others. No thanks.”

Resting her chin in her hands, Katara waved an absent hand. “Well then, what if you just tell me what you want people to know and we’ll leave it at that?”

Nara studied Katara’s face. It was the picture of innocent curiosity, but there was no missing the coy smile. “Alright,” she relented. “I grew up on an island out of the way of the war. Had to leave home three years ago and so, and seeing the war was a reality check. Hearing about it and imagining it just wasn’t the same. So, me and my friend eventually made our way through the Earth Kingdom running into trouble.”

“Which friend?” Katara asked, a clear violation of the rules she had proposed. “Longshot?”

Nara’s eyes flickered to the archer, only to find him already watching her. “No,” she corrected. “Someone called Soren, from my home. He’s gone.”

Sensing they were straying into unwelcome territory, Katara redirected. “So did the Freedom Fighters help you get out of some trouble?”

“That’s not really their style,” Nara snorted. “Soren and I met a lot of likeminded people by getting into trouble. Not many of them took us serious cause we were kids, but eventually word got to us about the Freedom Fighters.”

Nara remembered the excitement she’d felt when she first heard mention of a group of kids living in a forest and making a menace out of themselves. She almost hero worshipped the idea. Not only did the Freedom Fighters live in the forest and cause trouble, though back then it had been a much smaller operation, but they also had fun doing so. Hers and Soren’s life had been particularly crappy since the loss of their homes and families, and doing something fun that still helped people had been too good of an opportunity to pass on. Soren had taken a bit more convincing, but he’d relented.

A glance at Jet confirmed to Nara that he was distracted, head bent over talking to Longshot in hushed voices. “So, what is the plan for fighting the fires?” Nara asked, leaning back in her spot. “You going to be putting them out as they light them?”

“Actually, Jet’s idea was to have Aang and I fill the reservoir,” Katara confessed, looking curious. “He didn’t say?”

“No, he didn’t.” The waterbender looked surprised, but didn’t appear troubled by it. “Filling the reservoir will take a fair amount of bending, won’t it?” Nara asked.

Katara nodded, her face falling into a frown and stabbing at her food rather aggressively. “It will, and I don’t know how much help I’ll be. Aang’s the Avatar, so he’s a natural at this, but me…”

“You did some serious damage against those Fire Nation soldiers yesterday,” Nara pointed out.

She began to tear into the bread and meat in front of her, speaking between mouthfuls. Katara smirked, eyes drifting to the multiple weapons Nara wore.

“You’re rather dangerous yourself.” The other girl had no small amount of awe in her voice, but Nara brushed it off.

“It comes with a mother who spent her formative years in the Earth Kingdom military. Self-defence was kind of a requirement.”

“So she’s the reason you’re so good?”

“Hah, no. I only learnt the basics from her. When you’re a kid and your mother tries to teach you something it automatically becomes the last thing you want to do. The motivation came when I met the real world, and all of a sudden the skills she’d been trying to teach me became something I actually needed.”

Nara thought about those first weeks she’d spent away from home. She’d been mouthy, with a quick temper and a righteous streak that got her into no small amount of trouble with everyone from Fire Nation soldiers to indignant shopkeepers. “Needless to say, I had a steep learning curve.”

“I get that,” Katara agreed. “I loved waterbending since I first discovered I could use it, but travelling with Aang has forced me to learn quickly. Which is what I want, but…” Katara sighed, looking at her hands. They were resting palm up on the table, her brown fingers long and slender. There was no hint in that moment of the power those hands held. “Every fight we’re in shows me just how much there is I never learnt.”

“I didn’t even think there were Waterbenders left in the Southern Water Tribe.”

“There…aren’t really,” Katara winced. “I’m the only one.”

“So how are you meant to learn with no one to teach you?” Nara asked.

Katara didn’t answer, but instead stared at Nara quizzically. A smile grew on her face. “You know, Nara, you’re pretty good at this whole ‘talking’ thing.”


	5. A Beginning and an End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sokka and Nara finally work out that Jet is a lying liar, and Nara wants Longshot to do the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof this one is a monster chapter so enjoy

Nara wondered how many mornings she began in the hours most considered to be night.

The sun was yet to rise, and the absence of the warmth it provided ached into her bones. A headache pounded at her temple from a severe lack of sleep, an ache which Nara ignored. She was never at her physical best in the early hours before the day started proper, but she couldn't afford a sleep in. Too much was about to happen for that.

She and Sokka had a plan. Or, not so much a plan as it lacked many details, but a semblance of a plan. Sokka had left a note for Nara to find after dinner detailing it, though how he'd found her tent she'd never know. Wake early (her job as Sokka was a self-proclaimed heavy sleeper), then sneak around the hideout to try to find evidence of whatever it was Jet was planning. _If_ there was any evidence to find. Nara still had no idea what they were looking for exactly. All she knew was that they had to be sure that the rest of the Freedom Fighters wouldn't be in any danger if they stopped Aang and Katara from helping Jet.

Rubbing her arms to keep the chill in the air at bay, Nara crept silently through the hideout. Out of habit she sticks to the deepest shadows, her dark blue and green layers of clothes blending into the surroundings. Her nerves were on edge, tensing at every hoot and rustle.

Which is what saved her. Sensing a presence more than hearing anything, Nara froze in place beside one of the tents. She tried not to move, ears straining. Waiting a few moments, she saw what it was that had put her on guard. Longshot, slinking out of his tent and grabbing one of the lines down to the ground. He shot through the air, disappearing from sight.

Edging towards the drop, Nara kept her eyes up waiting for more Freedom Fighters to appear. None did, so she looked down to the forest floor. There she saw Longshot being greeted by Sneers and Pipsqueak. Behind the boys was the wagon loaded with all of the supplies they had pilfered from the Fire Nation soldiers the day before. What did they need with so much blasting jelly? That changed the plan. No longer did she and Sokka have to search for any clues left lying around. Clearly the blasting jelly had something to do with the forthcoming, and all they had to do was wait.

Footsteps sounding on the platform on the next tree told Nara there wouldn't be long to wait. As quickly as she could, Nara backed up until she was safely in the shadows, then cursed silently. She was supposed to be waking Sokka. How was she meant to do that when there was no way to get from the tree she was currently sheltered on, to the one where Sokka, Aang, and Katara all slept? Watching the Duke drop to the ground to join their friends, her mind raced. Sokka's tree was only two bridges along. She could see it from her position. Maybe she could throw something at the tent, hope it was enough to wake him?

About to step out to do just that, Nara quickly pushed back when she heard a voice.

"Let's go." Jet, and he wasn't alone. He and Smellerbee both strode past where Nara hid, barely concealed now by a branch. As they began to drop, a flicker of movement caught her eye.

The entrance to Sokka's tent had been pushed open. The Water Tribe boy crouched there, watching Jet and Smellerbee descend. Nara breathed a sigh of relief. At least with him already awake, she wouldn't have to waste any more precious time. Sensing he was about to follow the Freedom Fighters alone, Nara half stood up and waved her arm madly. " _Psst_!" Startled by the noise, Sokka frowned in her direction. Sensing he couldn't spot her, Nara rolled her eyes and stood up properly and waved once more.

A goofy grin lit Sokka's face, but quickly disappeared and he pointed angrily towards the ground with a questioning look. ' _What do we do?'_ he seemed to be asking.

Nara grabbed a line, and swung down to a lower branch on her tree, waving Sokka to follow. He joined her, and she pointed to the ground where the cart was. "They've got the blasting jelly," she hissed.

"What do they need with that?" he asked her as the Freedom Fighters began to move out.

"Maybe they think it's the jelly candy?"

The temperature dropped further and further the way it does right before dawn. Nara would be shivering if not from the nervous heat racing through her body as they followed the Freedom Fighters. Her friends weren't speaking, which meant that she had to be extra cautious about any noise. Which, ordinarily, would be fine. But Sokka clearly wasn't used to stealth.

On the third time he cracked a stick beneath his foot, she whirled around to throw a finger in his face. " _Quiet_ ," she hissed. Was it really so hard to _not_ step on every single obstacle in their path?

Sokka gaped. " _You're making noise too_."

Nara was ready to throttle him, but took a breath. " _Only in an attempt to shut_ you _up!_ " Nara rubbed her face with her palms in exasperation. " _Just be careful_."

Sokka nodded, but his eyes shifted to the path they were following the Freedom Fighters along. And narrowed. "Hey, where'd they go?"

"What?" Nara turned back, finding no sight of the Freedom Fighters. What she did see, however, was the sight of open air. "We're at the ridge. What are they doing here?"

The two of them snuck as far forward as they could. Seeking shelter behind a bush, Nara peered through the leaves. She spared a glance for the other Freedom Fighters, but focused on Jet. He stood at the edge of the ridge, staring out into the valley. Beyond him, Nara could see the dam. The dam that Aang and Katara were supposed to be filling later that same day.

In that instant, a horrible thought occurred to her. But, no... Surely not. Jet might be extreme and take himself far too seriously, but he wasn't evil. He cared about people, that was why he was a Freedom Fighter. But all Nara could see was the dam, and the cart full of blasting jelly.

"Now listen." Jet's voice cut across the silence of dawn like a knife. "You're not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive." Nara stiffened in the bushes, and felt Sokka tense beside her. So, that was it. This was what Jet, Longshot, and all the rest had been keeping her out of the loop over. A massacre. Yeah, go figure why she wouldn't be on board with _that_ idea.

They weren't the only ones troubled. Duke jumped off the cart, looking so very small. "But what about the people in the town? Won't they get wiped out too?" Nara couldn't see the kid's face, but she could hear his confusion. The sight of Jet placing a comforting hand on his shoulder sent her into cold rage. "Look, Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation," Jet soothed, his every word pushing Nara over the edge. Their leader straightened, looking back to Longshot sternly. "Now don't blow the dam until I give the signal. Got it?"

Longshot nodded, and Nara couldn't help but glare daggers at the back of his head. She wished she had her own bow and arrow here to teach them all a lesson.

Hair stood up on the back of her neck when she heard rustling behind her. Sokka shot her a look, then yelped. "Ow!"

Pipsqueak yanked the struggling boy out of their hiding spot. "Put him down Pipsqueak," Nara growled, reaching for her knives. Feeling steel at her throat, she soon stopped. Pipsqueak, Jet, Longshot, Sneers, and the Duke were all accounted for, which left... "Where do you think _you're_ going, traitor?" Smellerbee hissed. Brilliant.

"Sokka, Nara, I'm glad you decided to join us." Jet's voice was calm and confident. Nara might have thrown some choice words his way, but she was struggling to stay upright with the way Smellerbee was shoving her. The other Freedom Fighters looked a little more surprised. Nara caught a glimpse of the open mouth Sneers was sporting, and Longshot's frown.

Smellerbee and Pipsqueak shoved her and Sokka to the ground in a rather unceremonious fashion. Inhaling dust, Nara coughed in an attempt to yack it up. Sokka recovered a bit quicker.

"We heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town."

"Yeah—" Nara coughed once more. "Nice going Jet. Real nice effort to win asshole of the year. You've put yourself right up there."

Jet's jaw ticked. "Our _plan_ is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation."

Nara snorted. "By murdering innocent people?"

"No, by—"

"By causing a flood that will undoubtedly lead to their deaths?" Nara brushed the dust off her green shirt. "So, tell me, if knowingly acting in a way that ends in someone else's death isn't murder, then what is it?"

Sokka helped her up, eyes fixed on Jet, cold as ice. "There are people living there, Jet! Mothers and fathers, and children!"

"We can't win without making some sacrifices."

Jet had gone insane. Nara turned to face the other Freedom Fighters, desperate to find some support from them. Smellerbee was looking at her with pure contempt, so that was no hope. Sneers was shifting from side to side, not looking anyone in the eye. The Duke clung to Pipsqueak, who hadn't had a unique thought since he'd joined the Freedom Fighters and Jet had done away with a need for that. Even Longshot avoided her gaze. So much for that.

"You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire," Sokka yelled, pointing accusatorily at Jet.

Jet didn't even looked fazed. "Because they don't understand the demands of war. Not like you and I do."

Her fists clenched beside her, anger threatening to boil over. _Breathe_. Now wasn't the time to lose her cool.

"What about me?"

"Huh?" Jet was momentarily thrown. He even stopped chewing that ridiculous plant.

Nara crossed her arms, levelling Jet with her best glare. "I know as well as anyone else that war will ask things of us that we'd rather not give. But this is _too far_."

"You're just doing whatever it takes to get what you want," Sokka added, squaring his shoulders beside her.

Jet considered the two of them for a minute. Nara, stupidly, found herself hoping that in that instant the old Jet would emerge. The one she first met two years ago. His face was pleasant enough, not twisted in the cruel anger she'd been expecting. "I was hoping you'd have an open mind." His tone was resigned. "But I can see you've made your choice."

Before Nara could do anything, Smellerbee and Pipsqueak had both of them secured in their grasp, Jet stopping Sokka's hands from moving with his swords. "I can't let you warn Katara and Aang." Jet pushed them towards the other Freedom Fighters. "Take them for a walk. A long walk."

"Jet, don't do this," Nara pleaded. "You can't come back from this." She struggled against the grip of her friends as they bound her wrists behind her back, trying to meet his gaze.

"Why would I want to come back from this?" Jet questioned, a grin on his face. "We're going to win a great victory against the Fire Nation today."

* * *

"Just going to point out," Sokka mumbled. "My instincts were totally right this time."

Nara blinked at him, lifting her bound hands in the air. "Oh really? _That's_ the take away right now?"

"Hey! Being right is very important to me!"

"Join the club. But _priorities_."

"Right, yeah." Sokka nodded his head, doing a very poor job at looking like he wasn't smug. Which was astounding, because last Nara checked she had never tried to say he was wrong.

"How about you both shut up," Smellerbee growled, shoving Nara in the back particularly viciously. "Come on, move along."

"Bite me, Smellerbee," Nara grumbled, low enough that the other girl wouldn't hear her.

Sokka glared back in their captors direction. "How can you stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out a whole town?"

"Hey, listen, Sokka," Pipsqueak protested, "Jet's a great leader. We follow what he says and things always turn out okay." Nara knew it was hopeless to try to convince Pipsqueak, to convince any of them, otherwise. They all had blind faith in Jet. He'd taken all of them in, given them a purpose. Nara could see why they thought this was their only option.

Nara could see Sokka rolling his eyes away, not convinced, but then his eyes widened. As carefully as she could, Nara peered to her left to see what it was that caught his interest. In the clearing across from where they were walking, she could see the traps covered in lichee nuts that had caught his eye. Sokka glanced back at her, eyebrows raised, posing a silent question. Her mind quickly putting together the pieces of his plan, she nodded.

"If that's how Jet leads," Sokka taunted, "then he's got a lot to learn!"

"Hey!" Smellerbee reached for Nara as she ducked out of her grasp. Wrists still bound, Nara couldn't reach for her knives, but instead scrambled after Sokka as he tore through the trees. Both of them dodges the traps, but neither Pipsqueak or Smellerbee spotted what she and Sokka had. In an instant, they were hanging in the air, enclosed in the trap.

"While you two are up there, you might want to practice your knot work," Sokka called, waving his free hands at them. Smellerbee's face soured and she began testing the strength of the trap.

"Wanna help me out?" Nara asked, turning her back to show her own wrists—still bound.

Sokka snorted. "Oh, the marvellous spy can't free herself?"

"Shut up and help me already."

"Alright, alright, calm down," he chuckled, slicing her binds with his knife. "Happy?"

Nara rubbed her wrists. "I guess." She looked up at her two friends caught in the trap. Neither of them would look at her. "Let's get out of here."

They walked out of earshot of the two Freedom Fighters, back in the direction they had come from. Once satisfied that neither would be able to hear them, Nara poked Sokka. "You got a plan?"

His face screwed up, looking up at the sun. "How far to get to where Katara and Aang will be filling up the reservoir?"

Nara considered the time it would take to get to the vents, the only access to the underground water, and how far they had been walked. Her heart dropped. "Too far. By the time we make it there it'll be too late." They wouldn't make it to the base of the dam to remove the blasting jelly either. That was even further. That left one element to Jet's plan. "Longshot is the one blowing the dam," Nara pointed out, her thoughts racing. "If we can get to him in time, disable him somehow, then there won't be anyone to light the explosives. No one else could make the shot."

"Do you know where he'd be?"

"No..." Nara let out a frustrated groan. "I know his tricks, so I _might_ be able to find him, but—"

"But who knows if it will be in time," Sokka finished for her.

He didn't look as worried as Nara thought he should. Just a slight crease between his brows as he considered their options. "It'll have to do. You try to find Longshot, try to stop him from blowing the dam."

" _I_ try to stop him?" Nara parroted back, crossing her arms. "And what will you be doing whilst I'm saving the day?" Though she certainly didn't need Sokka tagging along, she also wasn't too fond of the idea that the whole plan rested on her shoulders.

Sokka was quick to reassure her otherwise. "I'll be carrying out plan B. I'll evacuate the village in case you can't find him." He sighed deeply, looking forlorn. "It won't stop their homes from being destroyed in the flood, but at least they'll be safe."

"Unless they don't believe you," Nara pointed out. "That village is full of Fire Nation soldiers. Some of them could recognise you, or at least suspect you're a Freedom Fighter because of your age and think its some kind of trap."

"It's a risk we have to take."

They came back onto the path, with a fork in the road. One path would wind down towards the village, and the other would head in the direction of the dam. Nara stepped onto that one. Hesitating, she glanced at Sokka. His face had lost any cheer, set in a frown. Nara understood. The thought of what was about to happen wasn't one that sent her leaping for joy. "Good luck," she offered. He was facing the most risk after all—putting himself at the mercy of the Fire Nation soldiers.

Sokka smiled. "You too. When it's done, meet back at the hideout. I'll need to grab Appa and Momo, so we can go find the others." He paused, giving her an uncertain look. "I know I offered before, and you said you were going to stay, but you can come with us. It would still be handy to have someone half decent with a sword along for the ride."

Nara didn't know what to say. Didn't know what she wanted. "I'll think about it," she said instead. It seemed like enough to satisfy Sokka because he gave her a quick nod, then began to jog towards the village. Nara turned ahead and did the same.

* * *

There was no doubt that Sokka had the shorter journey. Their walk with Pipsqueak and Smellerbee had taken them far away from the dam. Probably intentionally, in case of escape. Nara smirked at the thought, relishing in proving the Freedom Fighters right. But the long walk meant that she had a long run to the area she thought Longshot would be. A grove of tall trees that gave a perfect view over the valley, including the dam. It wasn't far from the ridge, which meant Longshot would be in earshot for Jet to give the signal. And Nara knew that the archer knew about it, because he'd been the one to take her there.

Short on time, Nara was pushing herself as close to a sprint as possible to make it to Longshot. Sweat ran down the back of her neck, and every breath she drew in was a sharp pain to the chest, but she kept pushing harder. Life in the forest had built her endurance at least. She could run like this as long as she needed.

Soon, but not soon enough, she had made it. The trees grew father apart and the blue sky was visible up ahead. Nara stumbled to a stop, eyes desperately scanning the tree line around her. There weren't many trees with branches close enough or low enough to climb. Longshot would have been prepared, though. He liked to plan ahead, just like she did.

Her eyes caught hold of _something_ that wasn't right. At first she couldn't tell, just got the sense that something had been in one of the trees that shouldn't be. Then she narrowed in on the rope hanging against the trunk of one of the ones closest to the cliffs up ahead. She couldn't see Longshot in the branches, but had little doubt that he was up there. Steeling herself, Nara jogged over to the tree and began to climb.

Aching legs straining as she scrambled up, Nara moved as stilly and silently as she could. Any movement could give her away to Longshot, though she figured he probably already knew she was coming. She guessed she was grateful he wasn't just cutting her loose. Good to know he wasn't at the point of wanting her dead. Sure enough, when she made it to the branch the rope was tied off to, pulling herself up over its edge trying not to look at the long drop to the ground, she found Longshot waiting.

"Well, this is awkward," she remarked, eyes on the arrow he had pointed at her. Longshot's jaw was tense, and he gave her a steely look. _Don't get in my way_.

"I can't let you do this." Nara edged closer, a hand out in front of her. Longshot's eyes flicked from her to her surroundings. She didn't have long before he made the call. "There are innocent people in that village. You won't just be killing soldiers, but civilians on both sides."

_There_ , a moment of doubt on his face. Nara knew it wouldn't be enough for him to go against Jet, but it was enough to distract him. Drawing one of her knives, Nara lunged forward.

She swiped at the bow, trying to cut the string. Longshot ducked out of reach. Her momentum carried her past him, until she stood between him and the open sky. His fingers twitched, reaching for an arrow. She darted forward before he could. Drawing a second knife, Nara went on the offensive. _Slash, swipe, stab_. Moving as quickly as she could, trying to get an opening to destroy his bow. But Longshot knew the way she moved, and she couldn't break his defence. Every move she made, there would be an arm blocking her path, redirecting her attack.

Gritting her teeth, Nara fell back and threw one of her knives. It would have made contact, but Longshot dropped down beneath its path, practically hugging the branch. Gave her a shocked look. The knife would have hit his shoulder.

"I won't let you win," she ground out, voice hoarse. Longshot tensed.

"Neither will I."

Nara barely saw him move. One instant they were facing off against each other. In the next breath, an arrow had caught her sleeve and she was thrown back. In the fight, her and Longshot had swapped placed again, her back to the trunk of the tree. She was now pinned to it.

She tried to rip the arrow out with her free hand, but Longshot pinned that to the tree as well. His shots had both gone through the leather guards she wore on her wrists. Smart—she wouldn't be able to rip them free of the arrow like she could her shirt. " _Let me go_ ," she hissed, trying to get her feet up against the tree and push free. Longshot just looked at her sadly. It seemed like he was about to say something, but turned away instead.

That was when he let out the bird call. Nara knew it well, it was their standard signal. An ascending group of notes designed as a question. Nara held her breath, waiting to see if Jet would answer.

He did. The same notes in descending order. The signal to blow the dam.

"Longshot—" Nara began to plead, pulling against the arrows. He cut her off with a raised hand and firm look. His resolve wouldn't break.

Fine. Neither would hers. Instead of begging, pleading with him to change his mind, Nara relaxed. Pushing down any regret, she fixed him with the filthiest glare she could muster up. Let some of that burning rage show itself for once. "Go ahead," she spat.

Longshot flinched. He knew what she meant. Fire that arrow, and she was done. Done with their friendship, done with the Freedom Fighters. Done with all of them.

He lit the arrow with his flint and steel, watching as flames roared to life at the end. He drew it back quickly, took a second to aim, and loosed. Nara watched as it sailed through the air towards the explosives. She didn't bother to hope that the wind would knock the arrow off course, or that the flame would die. Longshot had been the one to fire it. The arrow would land true.

Nara couldn't see the explosives from her position, but she heard the explosion. Heard the sound of the blasting jelly ripping the dam apart, of the river thundering through the valley. The sound of her failure. She hung her head, thinking of the old man that Jet had attacked. She thought of the villagers she had often stopped to speak to on her trips for supplies. There was still a glimmer of hope for them. Sokka would have reached the village well before she got to Longshot. Hopefully he'd been able to convince them to leave. Their home was destroyed, but maybe he'd been able to spare their lives.

With a sharp tug, Nara felt one of her arms freed from their constraint. Longshot had come over, and was pulling his arrows out. He avoided her eye, focusing on the task. The resolve was gone now, and he was left looking small. Nara couldn't even bring herself to be angry now. She just hoped he regretted it.

One last tug, and both her arms were free. Nara stepped away from the trunk, bringing her in close to Longshot. She hesitated, remembering their friendship. Longshot had been one of the first Freedom Fighters she called a friend. His silence was easy. He asked no prying questions, didn't demand anything of her. It had been easy to relax around him. She was going to miss that. "Goodbye," she whispered. Not giving him a chance to respond, Nara grabbed hold of the rope and dropped to the forest floor.

* * *

Sokka was waiting for her at the hideout.

When she saw him on the forest floor, strapping bags to the sky bison's saddle, Nara stopped short. She couldn't get a read on his body language. He was tense, but did that mean...

"Sokka?" she called cautiously. His head snapped around, and he relaxed when he saw her.

"You're okay?" he asked, jogging over to her.

Nodding bitterly, she explained. "I found Longshot, but couldn't stop him. Sokka, the village—"

"I got them out," he cut across her, a victorious grin on his face.

Nara matched it. "Finally, some good news!" Her eyes fell on the bags Sokka had been loading on to Appa, and froze. Amongst his, Katara, and Aang's bags, she recognised some of her own bags from her tent. All of them, in fact, along with her bow and quiver of arrows, and the bag of possessions left behind by Soren when he'd vanished. "You got my stuff?"

The grin froze on his face, and Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah. Wanted to save time, y'know, in case you wanted to come with us. Or at least catch a ride out of the forest. You don't have to come _with_ us but there's room. And it kind of gets annoying having Katara and Aang's endless cheer, so I could use a bit of your cynicism every now and then, and—"

Nara burst out laughing, putting an end to his rant. Mouth hanging open, Sokka gave her an offended glare. "What?"

"Nothing." She smiled. "I'd like to come. The reason I joined the Freedom Fighters was I wanted to help people. Travelling with you guys seems like my best chance to do that now."

"Helping people _is_ what we do," Sokka bragged. "Come on, help me load up. We gotta find Aang and Katara."

In no time Appa was loaded up, and Sokka was climbing onto his head to fly him. He showed Nara the best way to climb up into the saddle, which Nara was alarmed to find out didn't have anything to tie the _people_ down with. "Um, what am I supposed to hold onto?" she called out.

"What do you mean?"

"This thing is about to _fly_. Through the _air_." Nara felt a slight gripping of panic. Maybe she could hold onto the bags and just hope for the best? Surely Appa didn't move that fast anyways.

Sokka laughed. "You're not scared of heights or something are you?"

"I don't love them."

"Oh." As if sensing her fear, the lemur came and sat in her lap. Nara stroked the ears uncertainly, relaxing slightly when he chattered at her. Sokka gave her a funny look. "I guess hold onto the sides?"

That did seem like her best option. The saddle lip had a hole that she'd be able to loop her arm through. It'd have to do. "Alright. Just take off already."

Sokka lips quirked up in a smile when she grabbed the saddle in a death hold. "You sure you don't want to come sit on the head?"

She glared at him. "I _will_ shoot you in the head."

"Taking off!"

With a quick _yip yip_ from Sokka, Appa was taking off and flying up through the trees. Nara tried to ignore the drop in her stomach once they were out of the safety of the trees and under the clear sky. She tried shutting her eyes tightly, but that made matters worse. All she could feel was the rushing of air, and couldn't see that she was still safely in the saddle. Instead, she decided to focus on the task at hand.

It was surprisingly easy for her to ignore the anxious pit in her stomach when preoccupied with looking for Aang and Katara. From up here, it was easy to see the damage the river had wrought on the village. Every structure was at least partially underwater, and Nara could see debris being swept downriver. But she could also see the villagers, safe on the banks of the river.

If she could see the damage from up here, she wondered what kind of view Aang and Katara would have had from the dam. "They might have gone after Jet once they saw the flood," she called to Sokka.

He turned Appa in the direction of the ridge. "I reckon you're right."

Much to her dismay, Appa wasn't a slow flyer. Despite how big he was, they moved through the air at an alarming speed. In the valley, with the walls of the cliffs on one side, it seemed even faster too. As they came up to the ridge from below, Appa began to slow at urging from Sokka. Once he did, Nara started to hear muffled voices. Then, Katara's voice rang out clearly. "Jet, you _monster_!"

She couldn't hear Jet's reply as her and Sokka drew closer, but as they rose up over the edge they caught the tail end of it. "The Fire Nation is gone, and this valley will be safe."

"It _will_ be safe. Without _you_ ," Sokka interrupted as they came into view. Nara stood up, ready for a fight, but saw it wasn't necessary. Jet was pinned to a tree by ice. "Sokka!" Katara smiled in relief at the sight of her brother. Nara had no doubt who was responsible for the ice.

Sokka didn't acknowledge Katara, though, staring down Jet. "I warned the villagers of your plan just in time."

Jet lost the smug look on his face real fast. " _What_?!"

"At first they didn't believe me. The Fire Nation soldiers assumed I was a spy. But one man vouched for me—the old man you attacked. He urged them to trust me, and we got everyone out in time."

Katara and Aang exchanged grins, and Nara found herself smiling at the irony. The old man Jet had tried to frame had been the key to saving the village in the end. Jet didn't look so pleased. "Sokka, you fool! _We could have freed this valley,"_ he yelled as Katara and Aang began to climb onto Appa. The exhaustion was clear on both their faces. The fight with Jet had taken a lot out of the pair. Nara expected it was more than a physical toll.

"Who would be free? Everyone would be dead."

"You traitor!" Jet glared at her now, and Nara braced herself for what he was going to say next. "Nara, the Freedom Fighters are your _friends_ , and you put us all in danger!"

"You're the one who put everyone's lives at risk going after the soldiers like this, Jet," Nara reminded him. "What did you think was going to happen? That they'd just accept the loss and move on? They'd have come after us harder than ever. All those kids would have been taken, because of _you_."

Her words clearly shocked him, and Jet drew back. She saw him warring with himself, trying to convince himself that she was wrong. Instead of facing it, he looked to the other girl. "Katara, please, help me," Jet pleaded. Nara saw the other girl wavering, conflicting emotions in her eyes, and put a hand on her arm.

"He's not worth it." Nara made sure to lace the words with as much venom as she could muster, refusing to so much as look at Jet anymore.

Katara did the same. Facing away, she muttered one last, "Goodbye Jet," and climbed into the saddle.

"Yip _yip_." Sokka flicked Appa's reins, and the sky bison took to the air.

Silence fell upon the group, but it didn't last long. Eventually, Katara and Aang both started to give Nara funny looks, seeming to realise she was still there. "Are you coming with us?" Aang asked, giving her a hopeful smile.

Nara kicked back, trying to act casual, though she still wanted to grab on tight to the saddle. Hopefully Sokka wouldn't expose her fear. "Eh, why not. I could use an adventure."

"That's great!" Katara burst, grabbing her hand. "I'm so _glad_ to have someone else who is _sensible_ along. These two are such _boys_ sometimes."

Nara laughed a little, resisting the urge to point out that Katara hadn't been sensible when it came to Jet. She had a feeling it had been an off couple of days for the waterbender.

"So, what actually happened?" Aang questioned, looking between her and Sokka in confusion. "We thought you were going to the dam. How come you went to the town instead?"

"Let me guess," Katara teased her brother, "Your instincts told you."

"Hey, sometimes they're right."

Aang gave her and Katara a puzzled look. "Um, Sokka? You know we're going the wrong way, right?"

"And sometimes they're wrong."

With a twist of the reins, Appa turned and the four of them were flying north.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done with the Jet episode! Seriously, there's about 20k words devoted to a single episode. Which is insane. Things will move a bit quicker now that all the beginning is done, but ooooof. This took me so long. Yikes.   
> But hey Nara is officially on Team Avatar now so go her. My little spy is growing up.


	6. Ice Breaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Bonding happens. Its a thing. Nara isn't sure how to be emotionally mature but she is trying.

“So, you were frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years?” Nara clarified, lifting an eyebrow at Aang. He nodded, smiling brightly at Katara.

“Sure was, until Katara got me out!”

The waterbender in question flushed, avoiding his gaze. Sokka snorted from his position at the reigns. “Yeah, lucky she was having a tantrum or Aang might have stayed frozen.”

Katara glared in his direction. “Well maybe if _someone_ wasn’t a massive jerk—”

“This can go on for a while,” Aang whispered to her as the siblings picked up what was clearly an old argument between the two. Nara snickered, leaning back on her elbows. “I can imagine.” The sun was starting sink lower to the horizon, casting long shadows across the shadow of her silhouette. They had spent the whole day in the saddle, all of them silently agreeing to put as much distance between them and the Freedom Fighters as possible. Not because they were worried about pursuit, but it was an event they wanted to put behind them.

Nara didn’t disagree with the sentiment, but it was starting to hit her what she was doing. The Freedom Fighters might have been a bunch of assholes but they had been a home to her. With Soren gone now, along with the rest of their families, she really was alone. The other three had all noticed her dark mood the further they flew from the forest, and had left her to wallow. And for a few hours she had, until finally she cracked and asked about how they’d all actually met. She hadn’t quite expected the story she got. “How did you even survive in that iceberg?” she asked.

Aang shrugged, still watching the Water Tribe siblings bicker. “Avatar stuff?” It sounded more like a question than an answer, but Nara left it.

“So, you survive a hundred years without the Fire Nation knowing where you are, and then are found immediately when you wake up?”

The question drew Sokka back into the fold, interrupting the argument. “Oh yeah,” he snorted, rolling his eyes. “The massive beam of light sent into the sky when Katara busted him out was kind of obvious.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Aang protested, but Sokka shook a finger at him.

“You couldn’t have waited until Prince Zuko _wasn’t_ sailing around the Southern Water Tribe to do that? Honestly… What are the odds?”

“Pretty good actually,” Nara countered, thinking back to the encounter she’d had with the Prince, and the words exchanged between him and Zhou. “Zuko is banished after all. Finding the Avatar is the only way he can go home.”

“It is?” Katara asked, looking at her brother in confusion. Sokka matched the look.

“Did we know that?” He pointed at her accusingly. “How do _you_ know that.”

“Huh,” she paused, considering what she had told them over the last few days. “Didn’t I mention I was a spy in Commander Zhou’s base for a few weeks?”

“ _No_ ,” Sokka spluttered, even Katara and Aang looked surprised. “Zhou, as in the angry guy who attacked us at the Fire Temple? Big sideburns?”

That sure sounded like Zhao. Nara shrugged, not sure which attack the others were talking about. They hadn’t shared that story yet. “It might be. Anyways, I was there when Prince Zuko made an appearance. The whole ‘capture the Avatar to restore my honour’ thing was mentioned,” Nara elaborated, dropping her voice into a rasp in an imitation of Zuko. The others laughed at her impression.

“So, that’s how you figured out I was the Avatar,” Aang realised, shaking his head.

The discussion was cut short when Sokka leant over Appa, peering at the ground below them. “If we want to make camp for the night I think here’s good,” he suggested, pointing to a plateau amongst some rock outcroppings. No one made any complaints, so he flew them down to it.

Immediately upon landing, Aang, Sokka, and Katara fell into an easy routine. They moved almost automatically to start untying the bags, passing things down off Appa to each other. Nara hovered awkwardly, not sure what she was meant to be doing. Eventually she opted to just make herself busy unloading all her possessions, tossing the bags down onto the ground. She probably wouldn’t need much from them that night, but she wanted to go through and check to make sure Sokka had packed everything she thought he had.

“I’ve got the tent,” Sokka offered, already busying himself with the bundle of canvas and poles in the middle of their makeshift campsite.

“Alright,” Aang agreed. “I’ll go find some food if you find some firewood,” he checked with Katara, who nodded her assent. Then, everyone seemed to simultaneously realise that they had forgotten Nara, and turned in her direction. She dropped her bags at Appa’s feet, brushing dust off her blue and green tunic. “I’ll see if I can find some fresh water?” she offered.

“Perfect,” Katara smiled, passing her various water skins. “My bending water doesn’t really need replacing, but it’s good to keep it fresh in case we ever need to drink it.”

Nara screwed her face up at the thought. Considering Katara really only used that water in a fight, she couldn’t imagine it would taste too great afterwards. Hopefully they’d never need to drink it.

Nara collected water skins from the rest of the group and trekked off down the hill in search of the stream she’d seen from the air. They were approaching the vastness of the Great Divide and the trees were starting to thin accordingly. The landmark was in the wrong direction for following the coast up to the Water Tribe, being east of the forest the Freedom Fighter’s made their home, but they were headed this way on Nara’s request. There was an informant based in a town just west of the landmark, part of a rebel network who Nara and Soren had met in their travels before joining up with the Freedom Fighters. If Soren was still being held captive by the Fire Nation, the informant was her best bet at finding him. The town was only a few hours flight away from the Great Divide, so the others had decided to make a trip of it once Nara had explained the situation. “The less predictable we are, the harder it is for the Fire Nation to find us,” Aand had said when she’d pointed out the delay this side trip would cause. Ultimately, Nara figured the others were happy for an excuse to see the Great Divide.

The stream wasn’t hard to locate, and was thankfully fast flowing meaning the water was clear and clean. She’d still boil it to make sure it was safe, but at least they wouldn’t have muddy water. That was always a blast. Filling the water skins was easy work, and relatively relaxing. Nara sat on the edge of the water and let her thoughts flow with the water while she waited for each skin to fill. All her worries about her friends left her mind, apart from one. Soren.

She frowned in contemplation. Though she had said she would travel with Aang and the others to the north, she was secretly hoping to learn his whereabouts in their travels. That was why this meeting tomorrow was so important. Nara didn’t know where the Fire Nation soldiers would have taken him, but if he was still imprisoned she would find him. He was family, and she owed it to him. She was the reason they hadn’t found their families in the past three years, and she wasn’t about to let him pay for her mistakes.

When she returned to camp, she was surprised to find Katara setting up the sent and Sokka building a fire, with Aang anxiously hovering over the pair. Nara dumped the skins on the ground next to Sokka, glancing around the group. Based off the tension, she’d missed something. Someone had put her bedroll next to the fire already, so Nara lowered herself onto it and frowned at Sokka. “I thought you were building the tent,” she commented.

Aang shook his head violently, a grimace on his face. The warning was too late. Sokka shot a glare at his sister, snapping twigs in his hand. “ _Apparently_ I wasn’t doing a good enough job.”

“ _Hah_ ,” Katara protested, and looked ready to launch into a tirade when Aang put a hand over her mouth.

“I thought it best they switch jobs.”

Nara smirked, looking at the matching grumpy expressions the siblings wore. “Seems you were right.”

* * *

Nara jolted awake.

Immediately she knew something had to be wrong. It was still dark, so she hadn’t awoken at the approach of dawn. Which meant that a noise had to have alerted her. Nara had trained herself to be a light sleeper, awaking at the slightest noise.

Sokka was snoring beside her, clearly _not_ a light sleeper. He was lying out flat in his sleeping bag, loose hair falling across his face. Noisy, but not what had Nara on edge. She’d fallen asleep to the sound of his snoring earlier. Katara on her other side made no noise, but had a small smile on her face while she slept. The sight of it was frankly adorable. Nara wondered if the girl had a smile every night.

Nara checked to see if Aang was the one who had put her guard up, but was startled to find that he wasn’t in the tent at all. His sleeping bag was empty, and the tent flap opened just slightly. Aang didn’t strike her as the type to be up so late, or early depending on your perspective. The kid seemed full of endless optimism and joy, but those weren’t the emotions that kept someone up at these hours.

Sighing, Nara pushed out of her sleeping bag, carefully picking her way over the Water Tribe siblings. Stopping by her bag on the way out, she grabbed her dark blue coat to throw over her shirt and tunic to fight the cold. She was glad she did, because as soon as she stepped into the night air her breath fogged in her face.

It wasn’t hard to find Aang. The fire had gone out since they’d gone to bed and the moon lit the camp well enough for her to spot his orange and yellow figure over near Appa. The kid was sitting on the ground, arms wrapped around his knees staring at nothing. It was a stark difference to the Aang she’d come to know in the last few days, and Nara was starting to think she had misjudged his character. “Aang, you okay?” she prodded on her approach when he didn’t look at her.

“Hmm?” He finally looked over, smiling a little. “Oh, hey Nara! Whatcha doing?”

“Wondering the same thing about you.” Hesitating for a moment, Nara took a spot in the dirt beside him. “Can’t sleep?”

Aang looked ready to protest, forcing a smile on his face, but Nara gave him her sternest look, and the smile quickly faded. “Yeah, I guess.” He flicked his fingers, air gusting through the dirt in front of them. “Nightmares.”

“That sucks.”

He frowned in her direction. “Aren’t you going to ask me what they were about?”

“Do you want to tell me?” Nara asked, and he paused thoughtfully.

“No, not really.” He grimaced, meeting her expression. “It’s not personal, I just… Don’t really want to think about it.”

“Hey, I get it.” Nara bumped his shoulder with her own. “I am the best at avoiding unpleasant topics. I have repression down to a fine art.”

“Does it work?” he asked, sounding very small. Nara watched him for a moment. Whatever these nightmares had been about was clearly weighing heavily on him. She had forgotten what Aang had gone through to be here—losing a hundred years and his entire civilisation to a war he didn’t even know happened. “Sometimes,” she began. “But things that matter keep coming back no matter what you do.”

Aang groaned, head in his hands. “I was afraid of that.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes after that. Aang was clearly still upset, but Nara didn’t know how to make him feel better without talking about the content of the nightmares. She thought about waking up Katara, who clearly had a better grasp on emotional maturity than any of them, but thought better of it. It would only make a big deal out of this, which was not what Aang needed. Instead, she came up with an alternative. “You know, sometimes I find nightmares happen because I’m stressed about something else, and it leads to painful memories resurfacing,” she suggested, eyeing Aang out of the corner of her eye. He nodded slowly, looking up in the sky with a grumpy look as though that was to blame for his troubles.

“Well, saying I’m stressed would be the understatement of the century. And I would know.”

Nara snorted, shaking her head. “I mean, obviously. Being hunted down by the Fire Nation and knowing you’ll have to fight in a war someday tends to put one on edge.”

“That’s just it,” Aang complained, blasting himself up onto his feet to pace. “It _should_ be someday. I should have time to become a fully realised Avatar at _my_ pace.”

“Don’t you?” Nara asked, puzzled. Aang turned to her, understanding dawning on his face.

“Oh, I forgot you don’t know.”

“Know what?”

Aang sighed, flopping back down on the ground. “Do you know about Sozin’s comet? The one that was used to start the war?”

It sounded familiar. Nara’s father was well versed in world history, and had taught her a lot. She remembered something about a comet, and the attack on the Air Nomads. “Didn’t it make firebenders more powerful?”

“Yes,” Aang confirmed solemnly. “When I spoke to Roku on the solstice, he said that the comet is coming back. I have until the end of the summer to master the four elements and defeat the Fire Nation.”

That… that was horrifying. Nara didn’t know how strong this comet would be, but the Fire Nation was already winning this war. If last time the comet appeared they had been able to destroy one of the four nations… “End of summer?” Nara let out a shaky laugh. “That’s not a whole lot of time.”

Aang smiled bitterly. “Now you see why I’m stressed.”

“Can’t blame you on that one.”

Nara’s head was already running the numbers. Aang had three elements to master and… maybe eight or nine months left until the end of summer? It had to take longer than that to master just _one_ element, let alone three. And Aang wouldn’t exactly be able to fight a war by himself. They needed to mobilise troops, gather as many allies as possible, not to mention find some way of actually _defeating_ the Fire Nation when all the momentum was pushing the other way. When her and Aang finally went back to the tent, Nara’s head was swimming and it was hours before she went back to sleep.

* * *

“So, remind me who this guy is again?” Katara asked Nara. The two girls walked through the dawn-lit town alone, the boys waiting for them outside. There was a strong Fire Nation presence in the town, with its position on the river that divided the Earth Kingdom, and the four of them together would stick out too much. Particularly Aang. “He’s a rebel,” Nara explained again, keeping her voice low in case anyone nearby was listening. “Part of some secret organisation. When Soren and I left home and were causing trouble, they tried to recruit us. We went to the Freedom Fighters instead, but Pei will still help out with any information we need. For a price.”

“Secret organisation?” Katara prodded, eyes wide. “How come you didn’t join? Kind of fits your whole mysterious image.”

Nara snorted. “I keep to myself, sure. But secret organisation also means staying hidden. They don’t get involved if they can help it. No doubt they’re focused on some bigger picture. I don’t know, I never got the whole story. But I was angry at the Fire Nation, and wanted to do something more immediate.”

“And that’s where the Freedom Fighters came in,” Katara realised. Nara nodded, kicking a rock as they walked through the relatively empty streets.

They came to a building that Nara recognised from her previous meetings with the informant. A few Fire Nation soldiers loitered out the front, chatting amongst themselves, but none of them spared the girls a second glance. Katara had tensed up at the sight of them, and Nara saw the girls hands straying for her water skins. “Come on,” Nara muttered, grabbing the other girls arm and dragging her inside before she could do something stupid.

Inside wasn’t much better. There was a mix of Fire Nation soldiers and Earth Kingdom citizens inside, talking over breakfast. Again, no one spared them a glance but both girls were on edge. One wrong move and they’d have half the town on them in no time. Nara kept Katara’s arm in her grasp, keeping them moving as casually as she could to avoid drawing attention. Finally, her eyes fell on a table in the corner and grinned. “There he is.”

“Where?” Katara followed her gaze, and froze. “Are you _kidding_?”

Nara understood her outrage. For, sitting alone at a Pai Sho table in the corner was a guy not much older than themselves. He had dark messy hair, and darker eyes that stood out against his pale skin. He was already watching them, and his mouth stretched into a crooked grin when Nara met his gaze. The informant stood, giving them a clear look at his dark red uniform. “He’s Fire Nation?” Katara hissed, trying to pull back. Nara cut her a firm look.

“Yes, but he’s on our side. Now try to stop looking so suspicious.”

Katara realised that her protests would only draw attention to them, and dutifully followed Nara into the corner.

“Pei,” she greeted, taking the seat opposite the informant. “Still obsessed with this game I see.”

“I wouldn’t say obsessed,” he drawled, dancing a tile through his fingers. Nara thought it looked like a white lotus tile. His dark eyes fell to Katara in interest. “I see you’ve brought a friend, grumpy. A new Freedom Fighter?”

Nara grit her teeth at the nickname. _Grumpy_. “Actually, I left the Freedom Fighters.”

Pei raised an eyebrow in interest. “Indeed. Finally ready to join the big leagues?” He smirked in Katara’s direction. “You’re too pretty to be a Freedom Fighter anyhow. Bunch of kids living in the sticks.” He waggled his eyebrows in Nara’s direction. “Don’t know why you joined up with them in the first place grumpy.”

“That’s not why I’m here,” Nara interrupted, snapping her fingers in Pei’s face to stop him staring at Katara, who she noticed had started to go red. “And stop flirting. Focus up.”

“You have my undivided attention,” Pei promised with a mocking bow. “I assume you’re here for information.”

“Soren was captured while I was gone. I need you to put some feelers out, see if you can turn something up.” Nara fished out her bag, dumping a few coins on the table. “Your usual fee.”

Pei’s smirk was replaced instantly by a frown, and he swept the coins away before anyone could see them. “Try some subtlety next time. And since when was Soren captured?”

Nara paused, doing the math in her head. Soren had been taken from the forest a few weeks after Nara had left to go on her mission. She’d then spent a month aboard a ship before she’d reached Zhou’s base, where she’d been for a fortnight. It had been another month, give or take, since she’d left the base. “Let’s say ten weeks, based off what Jet said,” she decided upon. “Now, will you help?”

“No can do,” Pei shrugged, leaning back with a smug smile. Nara clenched her fists, trying to control her temper. Katara was less restrained.

“What do you mean,” the waterbender snapped, blue eyes icy. “Why won’t you help her?”

“It’s not that I won’t, it’s that I _can’t_ ,” Pei elaborated, watching Katara in amusement. “Soren wasn’t captured. I saw him maybe eight weeks ago. Came sniffing around for information.”

“ _What_?” Nara slumped back in her chair, thoroughly confused. Jet had said…

Oh. Right. Jet. That bastard. “Soren chose to leave?” she pushed.

“Seems so.”

“So, where did he go?” Katara asked, looking between the two of them. “You said he wanted information?”

“He wanted me to see if I could find your families,” Pei said, directing his answer at Nara. She stiffened, feeling Katara’s gaze on her. Nara had told her that she’d had to leave home three years ago, but she hadn’t said why.

The truth of the matter was that Nara wasn’t sure where her family was, or if they were still alive. They had been separated three years ago, Soren and Nara returning to what used to be their home to find it destroyed and empty. The three years they’d spent roaming the Earth Kingdom had turned up no signs of their families. For all Nara knew, her family was safe in Ba Sing Se, or one of the other great cities of the Earth Kingdom, but they could very well be gone for good.

Nara felt very small when she asked, “were you able to find them?”

Pei gave her a surprisingly sympathetic look. “No. Soren left after a few weeks with no news, and didn’t give me a forwarding address either. I imagine he’s out looking for them now.”

She hoped that was the case. If Soren could find them, then everything would be alright. “Keep looking,” Nara instructed, tossing a few more coins. “Find Soren, or my family. If you get any news, notify me.”

“And how will I do that, grumpy?” Pei sipped his tea, a strong black tea, she noticed. Which she remembered he would only drink if he was feeling a little worse for wear after a late night. Typical.

“Send it wherever the Avatar has been sighted,” she decided, standing from the table. Katara did the same. Pei’s smirk dropped, and he adopted a look of amazement.

“Left the Freedom Fighters, huh.” He looked at the two girls differently, tilting his head. “Alright. I’ll keep my ears to the ground. Anything else?”

Nara thought about Sozin’s comet, about spreading the word. With a quick glance at Katara, she voiced her concerns. “Sozin’s comet. You know about it?”

Pei’s face darkened, confirmation enough. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We know.”

“Good.” One less thing for her to have to worry about. “Keep me posted.”

“Will do.”

When the two of them had left the shop, Katara dissolved into nervous giggles. Nara laughed, shaking her head at the girl. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. Just kind of crazy to me, this whole world of espionage,” Katara shrugged, looking over her shoulder. “Also, he was kind of cute.”

“Pei? He’s an ass. I mean, _grumpy_.” Nara spat on the ground furiously. “He gave me that nickname when I was twelve. Of course I was grumpy then.”

“Sure, _then_ ,” Katara emphasised, running a hand down her plait. Nara shoved the other girls shoulder in a huff, only drawing more giggles from her.

“Oh shut up.”

Her mind was still reeling about the news she’d just received. Soren wasn’t imprisoned, he had left the Freedom Fighters. Which was good news, sure. She didn’t want him to be spending his days in a cell after all. Soren was an earthbender, and that had always spelled trouble for him when the Fire Nation was involved. But if he hadn’t ever been held prisoner, had chosen to leave, then it also meant that he had chosen to leave without her. Nara knew he wanted to find their families, but she didn’t expect him to leave without saying goodbye. She guessed he figured she wouldn’t want to come, would put the war over their families.

Walking side by side with Katara, Nara realised that he might be right. After all, wasn’t that exactly what she was doing right now? She was prioritising her travels with the Avatar over finding Soren and joining the search for their families. Was that right? Nara wasn’t sure anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you mean I'm setting up the future plot and foreshadowing??? I don't know what you m e a n

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah so I only like doing OC insert stories if there's a point to the character. Nara is all about showing what growing up in a war can do to a person, much like with Jet, but Nara is a lot more empathetic and she struggles to deal with that when it comes to blind hatred on both sides. Anyways. Team Avatar coming in hot next chapter.


End file.
